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SpaceX president and chief operating officer Gwynne Shotwell has shared that her company is ready to work with NASA to bring back astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on the Crew Dragon spacecraft. Wilmore and Williams' fate was decided by NASA earlier today after an agency review determined that the risk of bringing them back on Boeing's Starliner was too high. As a result, NASA will use SpaceX's Crew Dragon for the astronauts' return as part of the Crew-9 mission, which is currently slated to take off in late September.
SpaceX Is Ready To Support NASA To The Best Of Its Abilities, Says Shotwell
Before the Crew 9 Dragon can lift off to dock with the ISS, a docking port must be ready to accept the ship. Currently, the US section of the International Space Station (ISS) can accommodate two crewed vehicles, and along with Starliner, SpaceX's Dragon for the Crew-8 mission is also docked with the ISS.
Therefore, to accommodate the Crew-9 Dragon, Starliner must undock from the ISS and this tight requirement was the driving factor behind NASA's decision today as doing so otherwise would have meant that Starliner spent more than six months on station and SpaceX's Crew-8 would have had to undock first.
In her post on X after today's announcement, SpaceX's Shotwell shared that "SpaceX stands ready to support NASA however we can." Before it can return Wilmore and Williams to Earth on Dragon, SpaceX will work with NASA to decide which astronauts will not fly to the ISS on Crew-9 since the mission's original complement included four astronauts. Then, it will ensure that the Dragon's seats do not impact its mission profile because of the updated crew manifest.
Another change in the Crew-9 manifest resulting from today's decision involves the spacesuits that astronauts will use to come back to Earth. Since they are different spacecraft, SpaceX's Dragon and Boeing's Starliner use different suits for the crew. These suits are responsible for regulating crew temperature and ensuring their safety in case of cabin depressurization due to an anomaly.
SpaceX's Crew Dragon suits are custom fitted for each astronaut, and during a press briefing earlier today, NASA officials shared that they will fly an additional suit to the ISS on Crew-9. They also revealed that a spare suit was already on the station, and it had successfully been checked by the astronauts for a proper fit.
August and September are busy months for SpaceX's crewed missions. After it launches the Crew-9 crew, the firm will then work with NASA to bring the Crew-8 mission back to Earth. Before that, SpaceX will launch a private human spaceflight mission with the Polaris Program led by billionaire Jared Issacman next week. The Polaris Dawn mission will be a first of its kind for SpaceX as it will fly the Dragon to its highest altitude yet for a spacewalk.
About the author: Ramish is a seasoned technology writer and editor with more than a decade of experience. He specializes in semiconductor fabrication and market analysis. With a background in finance and supply chain management - via his bachelors in Finance and a micromasters in supply chain management from MIT - Ramish combines financial rigor with deep industry insight to deliver accurate and authoritative coverage.
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