NASA Transfers Boeing Starliner Mission Astronauts to SpaceX’s Crew-5 Amid Flight Delays—Here's Why

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) transferred two Boeing Starliner mission astronauts to SpaceX's Crew-5 amid another major delay on the International Space Station (ISS) flight of the former.

The US space agency, NASA, reshuffled the crew of the Boeing Starliner capsule mission to the ISS after another flight hiccup, as per the United Press International.

NASA said in its statement that the agency decided to transfer two astronauts from the delayed Boeing mission to the Crew Dragon spaceflight to "allow Boeing time to complete the development of Starliner."

The space agency also noted that the reshuffle will help in "continuing plans for astronauts to gain spaceflight experience for the future of the agency's missions."

NASA Transfers Boeing Starliner Mission Astronauts

NASA reassigned two former supposed crew members of the delayed Boeing Starliner mission, namely Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada to the SpaceX Crew-5 flight to the ISS.

To be precise, Cassada will be the pilot of the flight, whereas Mann will serve as the commander. It is to note that the Crew-5 will be the first spaceflight of the two astronauts, according to Space.com.

The said SpaceX mission is scheduled to take off by the fall of 2022 to the space station.

Mann, who used to be part of the NASA Boeing Crew Flight Test, as well as the Boeing Starliner-1 mission, said that "it has been the opportunity of a lifetime to train on a brand-new spacecraft, the Boeing Starliner."

The NASA astronaut also shared her excitement to work on the SpaceX Crew Dragon as it flies to the ISS.

On the other hand, Cassada, who has been with Mann on the Boeing missions, said that both of them are thrilled to work on their new spacecraft assignment.

Boeing Starliner Mission Delay

The Starliner mission first got in a hiccup during its test flight in December 2019, wherein the spacecraft failed to fly to the space station due to multiple software errors.

Meanwhile, last August, the Boeing capsule postponed another attempt to launch, this time due to the issues on its propulsion system and valves.

On Sept. 22, NASA admitted that the valve issue with the Boeing Starliner still exists, making the spacecraft still inoperable to make a flight to the space station. The space agency then went on to cancel the scheduled launch target data of the Starliner as astronomers disclosed that 13 valves were stuck in the service module of the capsule.

Now, NASA concluded that it would be best to reshuffle its crew members, and transfer it to another space station mission--the SpaceX Crew-5.

SpaceX Crew-3 Launch

Meanwhile, the 5th crewed flight of the Elon Musk-led space exploration firm is set to launch to the ISS on Oct. 30. The said SpaceX flight will be carrying three NASA astronauts, alongside a fourth from the European Space Agency.

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Written by Teejay Boris