NASA Adjusts SpaceX Crew-9 Mission for Safety

NASA astronauts Barry 'Butch' Wilmore and Sunita 'Suni' Williams, initially launched on Boeing's Starliner for an eight-day mission, remain stranded in space due to thruster malfunctions and helium leaks in the Starliner. The spacecraft will return uncrewed in early September, while the astronauts will return in February aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon. NASA has reassigned Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov to the upcoming SpaceX Crew-9 mission, bumping Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson to future missions. Heated discussions between NASA and Boeing over the safety of the Starliner led to NASA prioritizing astronaut safety over Boeing's assurances. Unusual noises from the Starliner add to the spacecraft's ongoing issues.