(WAVY) — A SpaceX mission to the International Space Station to be led by a Williamsburg native as its commander has been delayed until at least late-September, NASA said Tuesday.
NASA said it and SpaceX are targeting “a date no earlier than Sept. 24” for the Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station, with Williamsburg native Zena Cardman serving as its commander.
“This adjustment will allow more time for mission managers to finalize return planning for its Boeing Crew Flight Test currently docked to the orbiting laboratory,” NASA said in a statement.
NASA and Boeing engineers are taking time to analyze results of recent docked hot-fire testing, finalize flight rationale and “confirm system reliability ahead of Starliner’s return to Earth.”
It said no decisions have been made on the return of Starliner, which launched June 5 with two astronauts, Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore, on board. That mission was supposed to last about eight days, but has so far lasted more than eight weeks longer than expected due to issues with Starliner, that forced engineers on the ground to troubleshoot them and extending Williams’ and Wilmore’s stay at the International Space Station, LiveScience reported.
“I would say that our chances of an uncrewed Starliner return have increased a little bit based on where things have gone over the last week or two, and that’s why we’re looking more closely at that option,” said Ken Bowersox, associate administrator for NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate, said during a news conference Wednesday, as reported by LiveScience. “But again, new data coming in, new analysis, different discussion — we could find ourselves shift in another way.”
Boeing, in an Aug. 2 statement, said it “remains confident in the Starliner spacecraft and its ability to return safely with crew [and] we continue to support NASA’s requests for additional testing, data, analysis and reviews to affirm the spacecraft’s safe undocking and landing capabilities.”
Cardman, who graduated from Bruton High School in York County and holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology and a Master’s of Science in Marine Sciences from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, still considers Williamsburg home, and her parents still live there, according to a NASA biography of her.
Cardman, who was selected as a NASA astronaut in August 2017, finished two years of training as an astronaut candidate. Before she became an astronaut, she worked with NASA-supported field tests.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission will be Cardman’s first spaceflight, according to NASA.
