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Spaceflight

MA Native, Second Astronaut Will Hitch Return Ride On SpaceX Capsule Amid Starliner Trouble MA Native, Second Astronaut Will Hitch Return Ride On SpaceX Capsule Amid Starliner Trouble
MA Native, Second Astronaut Will Hitch Return Ride On SpaceX Capsule Amid Starliner Trouble After spending months in limbo aboard the International Space Station, an astronaut from Massachusetts finally has a return date to Earth. Pilot Suni Williams, from the town of Needham in Norfolk County, and commander Butch Wilmore will abandon Boeing’s troubled Starliner and instead hitch a ride on a SpaceX Dragon capsule in February 2025, NASA confirmed Saturday, Aug. 24. The stunning decision capped off 11 weeks of uncertainty after NASA discovered numerous helium leaks and malfunctions with Starliner’s thrusters following its launch from Florida's Space Coast on Wednesday, June 5. Ea…