NASA has decided to return astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suna Williams to Earth on SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft rather than Boeing's Starliner . The decision came in the wake of ongoing problems with Starliner's engines, five of which failed during a flight to the International Space Station in June.
Despite efforts to diagnose and fix the problem, NASA's tests an unexpected problem was discovered on Earth — swelling of Teflon in the flow channels of the thrusters, which led to the blocking of the oxidizer. The engine manufacturer, Aerojet Rocketdyne, had never faced this problem before, forcing NASA to change its plans.
The Crew Dragon spacecraft, which has completed many successful missions, will now bring Wilmore and Williams home in February 2024.