Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are still stranded in space. But according to the information, their return is possible only next year. The US space agency NASA said that the return of astronauts is not possible this year. Now the question is how will NASA bring Sunita and her companion Butch back to Earth next year. Know how much it costs to send a spacecraft to the ISS.
Space
It is worth noting that Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore reached the space station in June 2024 on a Boeing plane. Their return was postponed due to a malfunction in the Boeing Starliner capsule. At the same time, NASA chief Bill Nelson says that both the astronauts will now have to return to Earth by boarding SpaceX’s rocket. He told that the propulsion systems of Starliner are faulty, so it is very risky for the astronauts to return to Earth by this vehicle.
Return by 2025
NASA said that both astronauts are expected to return to Earth in February 2025. NASA said that the SpaceX Crew Dragon will be launched next month as part of a regular astronaut rotation mission. Out of the four seats in this spacecraft, two seats will be kept vacant for Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore.
How much does it cost to go to the ISS
Now the question is how much does it cost to go to the space station. All the rockets launched by the space agency have different costs. According to a report, the cost of the orbital rocket is very high. Rocket Lab’s Electron Smallsat Launcher costs US$7.5 million, Falcon 9 launch costs US$67 million (SpaceX charges around US$55 million per seat for crew launch), Delta IV Heavy costs US$350 million and SLS (Space Launch System) costs US$4.1 billion.
Many problems in space
Now Sunita Williams and Butch have been stranded in space for 80 days. However, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are former military test pilots and are quite experienced. Both these astronauts were the first pilots to ride the Boeing Starliner. They flew to the ISS on June 5 for 8 days, but due to a malfunction in the propulsion system of the Boeing aircraft, they have been stranded in space for the last 80 days. According to the information, both the astronauts are facing many problems due to staying in space for so many days.
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