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SpaceX Dragon To Bring Stranded Astronauts Home After Boeing Starliner Malfunctioned While Docking With The Space Station: NASA
August 24, 2024
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NASA announced at a press conference Saturday, that Crew Flight Test(CFT) astronauts of Boeing Starliner capsule, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore will be returning to Earth from the International Space Station(ISS) in February, aboard SpaceX Crew-9 Dragon which is due to fly other astronauts to the station next month.

Sometime in September, Boeing's Starliner capsule will return to Earth empty, to land in White Sands Space Harbor, New Mexico. It experienced malfunctions in five of its 28 reaction control thrusters during docking with the ISS, forcing both NASA and the aerospace company to decide to extend the astronauts' scheduled eight-day stay aboard the station while they troubleshoot the complication.

"The decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and bring the Boeing Starliner home uncrewed is a result of a commitment to safety," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told reporters on Saturday.

"We are dealing with a very complex issue with the thrusters," NASA's Commercial Crew Program manager Steve Stich said during Saturday's conference. "It's challenging to predict their performance; it's challenging to predict the temperatures we'll see."

"One of the really important factors is that we just don't know how much we can use the thrusters on the way back home before a problem," Ken Bowersox, NASA's Associate Administrator for Space Operations, said during the press conference, specifically pointing out heating effects that happened "on the way uphill."

Because of all that uncertainty, NASA emphasizes that it's too risky to attempt bringing Wilmore and Williams back to Earth using Starliner.

"If we had a model -- if we had a way to accurately predict what the thrusters would do for the undock and all the way through the deorbit burn and through the separation sequence -- I think we would have taken a different course of action," Stich said. But when the team looked at the data, including figures surrounding the potential for thruster failures with a crew on board, "it was just too much risk."

On a more positive note, NASA's Associate Administrator Jim Free said that "NASA and the Boeing team have made substantial technical progress in building a new and more accurate thruster model based on physical thruster testing as well as an understanding of relevant fluid physics and material properties."

When asked about where Boeing stands on all of this, Bowersox says the polling was unanimous amongst all the NASA folks -- but that Boeing officials expressed they'd be willing to bring a crew home on Starliner. "They believe in their vehicle," he said. "As far as the mood, all of us really wanted to complete the test flight with crew, and I think, unanimously, we're disappointed not to be able to do that."

Crew-9 mission Dragon set to launch in September, will be modified to accommodate the Starliner astronauts. It will only launch with two crewmembers( instead of 4); and the capsule will be reconfigured to carry more cargo, personal items and Dragon-specific spacesuits for Wilmore and Williams.

The decision to keep the CFT crew in the ISS until Feb. 2025 means they'll have to remain on the Earth-orbiting station for an unanticipated total of about eight months, which raises questions about how the delay affects station operations. However, ISS Program Manager Dana Weigel doesn't feel any major stress about the amended duration, saying the agency has had astronauts stay on the station for about 12 months at a time before. And in terms of supply allocation, all astronauts currently aboard the station have been fine and there hasn't been a need to ration, she explained.

Wilmore and Williams will be involved in planning for the uncrewed Starliner capsule's return to Earth, which would technically be referred to as an "uncrewed test flight."

"We are changing the separation sequence that we planned, and we will review those aspects at the Readiness Review," Stich said. "We're going to go with a simplified separation technique to get away from the station a little more quickly. We'll get to the deorbit burn and execute that nominally."

During Saturday's press conference, Nelson mentioned that NASA's two fatal space shuttle accidents -- Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003, that killed 14 astronauts collectively -- were on his mind when participating in the decision-making process, particularly as he was a U.S. senator during the latter.

"Obvious mistakes were not being brought forth," he said of those missions. "Going back to the loss of Challenger, even the engineers in Utah, in Morton Thiokol were begging their management not to launch because of the cold weather — and that information never got up."

And with Columbia, he said, issues with the hardware weren't brought up because of a particular culture that fostered this kind of data omission: "NASA, ever since, has tried very hard to bring about an atmosphere in which people are encouraged to step forward and speak their mind, and I think right today is a good example of that."

NASA also talked about the importance of supporting Boeing in its endeavor to find success with Starliner in general, especially because the agency hopes to have more than one option for crew flights in the future. Right now, Elon Musk's Dragon spacecraft is the go-to, and Russia's Soyuz.

"Competition is healthy in a lot of ways," Bowersox said. "It causes you to develop your technology, it causes you to get better pricing, and we would like to have that competition in the future."

Nelson affirmed he is 100% certain that Boeing will launch Starliner with a crew onboard again -- but not before completing all necessary safety testing. "We want to further understand the root causes and understand the design improvements so that the Boeing Starliner will serve as an important part of our assured crew access to the ISS," he said. "Our core value is safety -- and it is our North Star."

NASA in 2014, awarded Boeing a $4.2 billion contract to build a capsule that sees six crewed flights to the ISS; SpaceX received a similar $2.6 billion contract that year and has since completed nine such flights in its Dragon capsule. Crew-9 would mark the tenth.

Critics point out the stark difference between Boeing's bloated woke corporate culture and SpaceX's "hard core" efficiency-and performance-based culture which Musk is known to adopt at all his companies.

Boeing has been facing backlash over a series of embarrassing headlines recently about technical mishaps involving the aerospace company's commercial aircraft including the 787 Dreamliner and 737 Max 9, and the mysterious deaths of whistleblowers from the company.

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SpaceX Private Ax-4 Astronauts Arrive At The Space Station

The SpaceX Ax-4 Crew Dragon "Grace" docked with the International Space Station (ISS) at 1031 UTC on June 26, and the hatches between the spacecraft and the station were opened at 1214 UTC. The station's current crew, including Exp. 73 commander JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi, welcomed the Ax-4 astronauts abaord.

The spacecraft had launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a Falcon 9 rocket at 0631 UTC on June 25 for Houston-based Axiom Space, completing a 28-hour orbital journey to the space station.

Welcoming the Ax-4 crew mission commander Peggy Whitson, mission pilot Shubhanshu Shukla (India), mission specialists Sławosz Uznański (Poland) and Tibor Kapu (Hungary), Onishi noted the presence of 11 astronauts from six countries on the ISS. He welcomed the crew, stating, “With your arrival right now, there are 11 astronauts from six countries, and all of us are here in order to advance human space exploration and scientific research, symbolizing international cooperation.”

The Ax-4 crew received their astronaut wings during the ceremony, with Whitson expressing appreciation for the support provided by the ISS crew and Kapu describing the Expedition 73 team as “the best crew” to join.

The Ax-4 crew will work alongside the Expedition 73 members, including NASA astronauts Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, and Jonny Kim, JAXA’s Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov, Kirill Peskov, and Alexey Zubritsky.

"We're looking forward to getting a lot of work done with you guys, and I really appreciate all the support you provided for to us in advance of actually even getting here," Whitson said in response to Onishi.

"I'm very, very confident that the next 14 days are going to be amazing, advancing science and research and working together," said Shukla, mentioning that the view so far had surpassed his expectations.

"This is an ultimate scientific laboratory where we come to do science, to test the technologies of our countries, to do technology demonstrations and science outreach that I can't wait to do for the for the next two weeks, and we will all try to do our best representing our countries," Uznański said as he was handed the microphone.

Finally, as his wings were clipped to his jumpsuit, "I really feel that this is the best crew that you could join. It really feels great to be part of Expedition 73," said Kapu. "I'm 100% sure that this is going to be awesome."

The Ax-4 mission, a private astronaut mission, will last approximately 14 days, during which the crew will conduct over 60 scientific experiments, including seven proposed by India, such as studying water bears (tardigrades) in microgravity and investigations in bio-manufacturing and bio-astronautics.

==================

Falcon 9 rocket launched SpaceX's newest Dragon spacecraft, named "Grace," at 0631 UTC on June 25, 2025, from Launch Complex-39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The Ax-4 mission for Houston-based Axiom Space, to the International Space Station (ISS) is carrying former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, who is also Axiom's director of human spaceflight. Alongside her are mission pilot Shubhanshu Shukla and specialists Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski and Tibor Kapu.

The Falcon 9 first stage booster (B1094) touched down safely as planned about ~8 minutes after liftoff at SpaceX's Landing Zone 1(LZ 1) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

About a minute later, the Falcon 9's second stage completed its orbital insertion and deployed Dragon to begin the final leg of Ax-4's journey to the space station.

The Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to dock with the dorsal port of the space station's Harmony module at approximately 1100 UTC on June 26.

Grace is the fifth Crew Dragon in SpaceX's fleet, and was named by the Ax-4 crew, with its name symbolizing elegance and harmony in space exploration. Ax-4 is the Dragon's debut mission carrying the crew of four to the International Space Station (ISS). The spacecraft featured upgraded life-support systems, touchscreen controls, and autonomous docking capabilities.

The crew shared images of their mission's zero-g indicator, a plush baby swan toy named Joy, symbolized cultural values—wisdom (India), resilience (Poland), and grace (Hungary)—and signaled the crew’s arrival in microgravity.

The Ax-4 crew will spend about two weeks aboard the ISS, living and working alongside the seven long-term occupants of ISS Expedition 73. They will conduct more than 60 science experiments and STEM outreach events, the highest number on any Axiom mission to date, representing 31 countries, including the U.S., India, Poland, Hungary, and others.

The experiments focuses on:

  • Human Research: Studies on muscle regeneration and the impact of isolation on mental health.

  • Life and Biological Sciences: Investigations into how sprouts, edible microalgae, and tiny aquatic organisms grow and survive in microgravity.

  • Earth Observation: Research to support environmental monitoring.

  • Material Sciences: Technology demonstrations for future space applications.

The crew trained extensively for ISS operations, with access to the U.S. segment of the station, including the Columbus and Kibō modules. Educational outreach included interactive events with schools and communities in the crew’s home countries.

This mission marks the first time people from India, Poland, and Hungary have flown together to the ISS and represents the return of these countries to human spaceflight for the first time in 40 years  It is also the fourth private astronaut mission to the ISS.

Whitson is a former NASA astronaut and Axiom Space’s Director of Human Spaceflight. She is the most experienced American astronaut, with 675 days in space prior to this mission. This was her fifth spaceflight and second time commanding an Axiom mission. She holds records for the most spacewalks by a female astronaut (10) and the most cumulative time in space by a U.S. astronaut.

Shukla is a Group Captain in the Indian Air Force and an astronaut with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Shukla became the second Indian to reach space and the first to serve in a critical operational role on an ISS mission. With over 2,000 hours of flight experience, he trained at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Russia and is part of India’s Gaganyaan program, set for 2027.

Uznański-Wiśniewski is a European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut from the 2022 Astronaut Reserve Class. Uznański-Wiśniewski was the second Polish astronaut to travel to space and the first since 1978. An engineer with experience at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, he trained extensively in Europe, Japan, and the U.S. for the mission, carrying the Polish flag from the 1978 mission.

Kapu is representing the Hungarian to Orbit (HUNOR) program. Kapu was the second Hungarian astronaut to reach space and the first to visit the ISS. A mechanical engineer with expertise in space radiation protection, he was selected from 247 applicants and trained at NASA facilities.

"It has been more than 40 years since the first person from India, Poland and Hungary has been to space, and through this commercial space opportunity we are accelerating the national space programs in each of these three countries and creating new pathways for technological advancements," Whitson said at the crew's January press conferece. "I'm sure this crew is going to be inspiring a whole new generation of young people."

This is the second Axiom astronaut mission to the ISS that has been sponsored in part by another national government or the European Space Agency (ESA). Of the 60 experiments to be carried out by the Ax-4 crew, 17 are being supported by ESA and Poland, and 25 through Hungary's orbital astronaut program HUNOR.

"Each country who comes brings something different than what we have in the normal suite of what we see for our research," said NASA's ISS program manager Dana Weigel during a May 20 Ax-4 press call. "It really expands the breadth of what we can do with research and the number of countries, institutions, academic organizations, etc., who participate."

Thursday's launch was initially scheduled for June 11 but was delayed due to high altitude winds and a leak aboard the ISS.

The space station's aftmost module, Zvezda, has experienced an ongoing leak for more than five years now, but has remained stable during that time. Last week, a change in the pressure data that monitors the leak prompted NASA to delay Ax-4 while they monitored the issue.

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NATO Summit: Trump Slams Far-left CNN, NYT Over Iran Stories On U.S. Strikes

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO summit in The Hague concluded with significant developments, including a commitment by member states to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, aimed at strengthening collective security and meeting NATO's capability targets.

President Trump praised the summit's outcomes, calling the defense spending agreement a "big win" for the United States and Western civilization, while also expressing concerns about Spain's reluctance to meet the spending target. He reaffirmed his commitment to NATO's Article 5.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasized NATO's renewed focus on becoming "deadlier and fairer," and reaffirmed the UK's commitment to defense spending and support for Ukraine.

Starmer highlighted the UK's commitment to NATO and its efforts to strengthen defense capabilities. He also emphasized the importance of supporting Ukraine and ensuring the stability of the region.

NATO leaders agreed to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, with at least 3.5% allocated to core defense requirements and up to 1.5% for other security-related expenditures. This commitment is intended to ensure NATO's readiness and resilience against emerging threats.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte humorously referred to President Trump as "daddy" when discussing Trump's intervention in the Israel-Iran conflict. Rutte later clarified that the term was used metaphorically to describe Trump's role in mediating the dispute. Trump acknowledged it in a light-hearted manner, stating that Rutte "likes me."

Following his speech at the NATO Summit, President Trump, along with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed a leaked preliminary Pentagon assessment that suggested the damage to Iran's nuclear program by recent U.S. airstrikes was likely only a few months' setback rather than complete obliteration as Trump said.

The leaked preliminary Pentagon assessment, reported by far-left anti-Trump outlets like CNN and The New York Times, suggested the strikes only delayed Iran’s nuclear program by a few months, with damage limited to aboveground structures and some enriched uranium possibly moved beforehand.

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The President emphasized the strikes’ precision and the bravery of U.S. pilots, comparing the operation’s impact to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, while insisting the conflict with Iran was over due to a ceasefire. He expressed frustration with the media, calling them “scum” for questioning the strikes’ effectiveness. He slammed "fake news" CNN and New York Times, accusing them of lying to demean the "brave" American pilots that carried out the bombing.

Trump later announced in a Truth Social post that Hegseth would hold a follow-up press conference with "military representatives" on June 26 to provide “irrefutable” proof of the mission’s success.

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SpaceX Private Ax-4 Astronauts Arrive At The Space Station

The SpaceX Ax-4 Crew Dragon "Grace" docked with the International Space Station (ISS) at 1031 UTC on June 26, and the hatches between the spacecraft and the station were opened at 1214 UTC. The station's current crew, including Exp. 73 commander JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi, welcomed the Ax-4 astronauts abaord.

The spacecraft had launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a Falcon 9 rocket at 0631 UTC on June 25 for Houston-based Axiom Space, completing a 28-hour orbital journey to the space station.

Welcoming the Ax-4 crew mission commander Peggy Whitson, mission pilot Shubhanshu Shukla (India), mission specialists Sławosz Uznański (Poland) and Tibor Kapu (Hungary), Onishi noted the presence of 11 astronauts from six countries on the ISS. He welcomed the crew, stating, “With your arrival right now, there are 11 astronauts from six countries, and all of us are here in order to advance human space exploration and scientific research, symbolizing international cooperation.”

The Ax-4 crew received their astronaut wings during the ceremony, with Whitson expressing appreciation for the support provided by the ISS crew and Kapu describing the Expedition 73 team as “the best crew” to join.

The Ax-4 crew will work alongside the Expedition 73 members, including NASA astronauts Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, and Jonny Kim, JAXA’s Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov, Kirill Peskov, and Alexey Zubritsky.

"We're looking forward to getting a lot of work done with you guys, and I really appreciate all the support you provided for to us in advance of actually even getting here," Whitson said in response to Onishi.

"I'm very, very confident that the next 14 days are going to be amazing, advancing science and research and working together," said Shukla, mentioning that the view so far had surpassed his expectations.

"This is an ultimate scientific laboratory where we come to do science, to test the technologies of our countries, to do technology demonstrations and science outreach that I can't wait to do for the for the next two weeks, and we will all try to do our best representing our countries," Uznański said as he was handed the microphone.

Finally, as his wings were clipped to his jumpsuit, "I really feel that this is the best crew that you could join. It really feels great to be part of Expedition 73," said Kapu. "I'm 100% sure that this is going to be awesome."

The Ax-4 mission, a private astronaut mission, will last approximately 14 days, during which the crew will conduct over 60 scientific experiments, including seven proposed by India, such as studying water bears (tardigrades) in microgravity and investigations in bio-manufacturing and bio-astronautics.

==================

Falcon 9 rocket launched SpaceX's newest Dragon spacecraft, named "Grace," at 0631 UTC on June 25, 2025, from Launch Complex-39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The Ax-4 mission for Houston-based Axiom Space, to the International Space Station (ISS) is carrying former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, who is also Axiom's director of human spaceflight. Alongside her are mission pilot Shubhanshu Shukla and specialists Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski and Tibor Kapu.

The Falcon 9 first stage booster (B1094) touched down safely as planned about ~8 minutes after liftoff at SpaceX's Landing Zone 1(LZ 1) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

About a minute later, the Falcon 9's second stage completed its orbital insertion and deployed Dragon to begin the final leg of Ax-4's journey to the space station.

The Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to dock with the dorsal port of the space station's Harmony module at approximately 1100 UTC on June 26.

Grace is the fifth Crew Dragon in SpaceX's fleet, and was named by the Ax-4 crew, with its name symbolizing elegance and harmony in space exploration. Ax-4 is the Dragon's debut mission carrying the crew of four to the International Space Station (ISS). The spacecraft featured upgraded life-support systems, touchscreen controls, and autonomous docking capabilities.

The crew shared images of their mission's zero-g indicator, a plush baby swan toy named Joy, symbolized cultural values—wisdom (India), resilience (Poland), and grace (Hungary)—and signaled the crew’s arrival in microgravity.

The Ax-4 crew will spend about two weeks aboard the ISS, living and working alongside the seven long-term occupants of ISS Expedition 73. They will conduct more than 60 science experiments and STEM outreach events, the highest number on any Axiom mission to date, representing 31 countries, including the U.S., India, Poland, Hungary, and others.

The experiments focuses on:

  • Human Research: Studies on muscle regeneration and the impact of isolation on mental health.

  • Life and Biological Sciences: Investigations into how sprouts, edible microalgae, and tiny aquatic organisms grow and survive in microgravity.

  • Earth Observation: Research to support environmental monitoring.

  • Material Sciences: Technology demonstrations for future space applications.

The crew trained extensively for ISS operations, with access to the U.S. segment of the station, including the Columbus and Kibō modules. Educational outreach included interactive events with schools and communities in the crew’s home countries.

This mission marks the first time people from India, Poland, and Hungary have flown together to the ISS and represents the return of these countries to human spaceflight for the first time in 40 years  It is also the fourth private astronaut mission to the ISS.

Whitson is a former NASA astronaut and Axiom Space’s Director of Human Spaceflight. She is the most experienced American astronaut, with 675 days in space prior to this mission. This was her fifth spaceflight and second time commanding an Axiom mission. She holds records for the most spacewalks by a female astronaut (10) and the most cumulative time in space by a U.S. astronaut.

Shukla is a Group Captain in the Indian Air Force and an astronaut with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Shukla became the second Indian to reach space and the first to serve in a critical operational role on an ISS mission. With over 2,000 hours of flight experience, he trained at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Russia and is part of India’s Gaganyaan program, set for 2027.

Uznański-Wiśniewski is a European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut from the 2022 Astronaut Reserve Class. Uznański-Wiśniewski was the second Polish astronaut to travel to space and the first since 1978. An engineer with experience at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, he trained extensively in Europe, Japan, and the U.S. for the mission, carrying the Polish flag from the 1978 mission.

Kapu is representing the Hungarian to Orbit (HUNOR) program. Kapu was the second Hungarian astronaut to reach space and the first to visit the ISS. A mechanical engineer with expertise in space radiation protection, he was selected from 247 applicants and trained at NASA facilities.

"It has been more than 40 years since the first person from India, Poland and Hungary has been to space, and through this commercial space opportunity we are accelerating the national space programs in each of these three countries and creating new pathways for technological advancements," Whitson said at the crew's January press conferece. "I'm sure this crew is going to be inspiring a whole new generation of young people."

This is the second Axiom astronaut mission to the ISS that has been sponsored in part by another national government or the European Space Agency (ESA). Of the 60 experiments to be carried out by the Ax-4 crew, 17 are being supported by ESA and Poland, and 25 through Hungary's orbital astronaut program HUNOR.

"Each country who comes brings something different than what we have in the normal suite of what we see for our research," said NASA's ISS program manager Dana Weigel during a May 20 Ax-4 press call. "It really expands the breadth of what we can do with research and the number of countries, institutions, academic organizations, etc., who participate."

Thursday's launch was initially scheduled for June 11 but was delayed due to high altitude winds and a leak aboard the ISS.

The space station's aftmost module, Zvezda, has experienced an ongoing leak for more than five years now, but has remained stable during that time. Last week, a change in the pressure data that monitors the leak prompted NASA to delay Ax-4 while they monitored the issue.

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