A scheduling dispute between NASA and SpaceX over the return of astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Willmore from the International Space Station (ISS) could cause delays for Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla’s first space flight as an ISRO astronaut.
SpaceX had planned to use a new Dragon spacecraft to bring Williams and Willmore back on the Crew-10 mission, but delays due to battery problems may push Williams’s return from February to March or even April. Axiom Space’s Dragon spacecraft, originally intended to transport Shukla and four other private astronauts to the ISS, is being considered by NASA. The spring-scheduled Axiom-4 mission may be postponed if this happens.
Williams and Willmore could be returned by Crew-10 on the Dragon spacecraft, which was previously utilized for the Crew-7 mission, by March 19. Arriving at the ISS last June, Williams and Willmore were originally expected to stay for a week, but NASA sent Boeing’s Starliner capsule back empty due to problems. Both astronauts are said to be healthy despite their prolonged stay and a recent five-hour spacewalk.
