NASA is facing a critical 19-day deadline to safely return astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore from the International Space Station (ISS) 

NASA has a crucial 19-day timeframe to bring back astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore from the International Space Station (ISS) safely because of technical problems with their Boeing Starliner spacecraft.

On June 5, 2024, Williams and Wilmore took off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This was a big deal because it was the first time people flew on Boeing's commercial crew program. Their mission was to see how well the Starliner worked, which was a major step forward for Boeing.

On June 5, 2024, Williams and Wilmore took off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This was a big deal because it was the first time people flew on Boeing's commercial crew program. Their mission was to see how well the Starliner worked, which was a major step forward for Boeing.

The Crew-9 mission is set to launch on or after August 18, 2024. It will take NASA astronauts Zena Cardman, Nick Hague, and Stephanie Wilson, along with Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov, to the International Space Station using a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. 

 The crew, consisting of international members, will depart from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft,

Yet, when the spacecraft neared the ISS, five out of its 28 thrusters suddenly stopped working. Moreover, engineers detected five minor helium leaks in the spacecraft's service module, which hindered the Starliner from undocking and coming back to Earth safely.