(Reuters) – NASA said on Friday it will replace two crew members for an upcoming SpaceX flight to accommodate the two astronauts aboard the International Space Station who arrived on Boeing’s (NYSE:) malfunctioning Starliner capsule.
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, both former military test pilots who launched aboard the Starliner spacecraft in June, will replace Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson on the SpaceX mission.
Last week, NASA officials deemed problems with Starliner’s propulsion system too risky to bring the first crew home as planned, dealing a major blow to Boeing’s struggling space program.
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, which was initially scheduled to launch four astronauts to the ISS on August 18, has had its mission, dubbed Crew-9, rescheduled by NASA to “no earlier than” September 24.
Cardman, initially selected as the mission commander, and Wilson, the mission specialist, remain under consideration for reassignment for future missions, NASA said in a news release.
Nick Haag and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will remain part of the crew and will fly back with Wilmore and Williams in February 2025.
Den Haag, originally designated as pilot, will now take over as commander, while Gorbunov will retain his role as mission specialist, the space agency said.
NASA’s decision to use SpaceX, Boeing’s main space rival, to return the astronauts marks another setback for the embattled American plane maker and represents one of NASA’s most consequential decisions in years.
Boeing had pinned its space hopes on the success of the Starliner test mission, hoping it could deliver on the troubled program after years of development challenges.
