NASA-SpaceX capsule set to return Starliner astronauts days sooner

NASA on Tuesday swapped out the astronaut capsule it plans to use for an upcoming routine flight to the International Space Station, a scheduling move that will allow a slightly earlier return for two Starliner astronauts who have been on the station far longer than expected. The US space agency said mission management teams opted to use a previously flown SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule for its Crew-10 mission to the space station, instead of a new SpaceX capsule whose production it said has been delayed. The return of two astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who flew to the International Space Station on Boeing’s faulty Starliner capsule last summer, has hinged on the arrival of the Crew-10’s four-person crew in order to keep the station’s American contingent staffed at normal levels. After Trump’s demand, NASA affirmed its plan to bring home the astronauts, saying it would do so “as soon as practical.” In its statement on Tuesday, the agency did not say its decision to change the Crew-10 capsule was made to bring the Starliner crew home early. The Crew-10 decision is also expected to impact Axiom’s planned Crew Dragon mission where it will fly government astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary.