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NASA ‘getting more serious’ about backup plan to bring Starliner astronauts home if needed
As NASA debates the safety of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft in the wake of multiple helium leaks and thruster issues, the agency is "getting more serious" about a backup plan to bring the ship's two crew members back to Earth aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon, officials said Wednesday.

NASA pushes Crew-9 launch to September amid uncertainty of Starliner’s return timeline
The adjustment of the launch manifest is in line with NASA’s desire to have a direct handover between its two long-duration crews on the International Space Station.

Cygnus completes two-day journey to the International Space Station
Northrop Grumman engineers were able to create a new burn plan for the spacecraft after it missed two attempts to perform its “targeted altitude burn.” Capture using the robotic Canadarm2 happened at 3:11 a.m. EDT (0711 UTC) on Tuesday, Aug. 6.

Axiom Space’s fourth private astronaut crew named, begins training in Houston
Ax-4 will mark the first time an astronaut from India or Poland visits the International Space Station. The mission will be commanded by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, making her second trip to the ISS on behalf of Axiom Space.
VideoNASA and SpaceX launch a Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft to the International Space Station
The mission, dubbed NG-21, was the second out of three planned launches of a Cygnus spacecraft onboard a Falcon 9 rocket. Liftoff happened on Sunday, Aug. 4, at 11:02 a.m. EDT (1502 UTC).
VideoSpaceX launches Falcon 9 return to flight mission from the Kennedy Space Center
The rocket launched more than 340 times successively and successfully before it encountered an issue with its upper stage on July 11. Liftoff of the Starlink 10-9 mission happened at 1:45 a.m. EDT (0545 UTC).
VideoAs it happened: NASA holds briefings on Crew 9 mission as SpaceX nears return to flight
Watch live as NASA holds briefings at the Johnson Space Center in Houston on the upcoming Crew 9 mission and SpaceX rolls out a Falcon 9 as it prepares to return to flight with its workhorse rocket.

Make-or-break tests on tap for Boeing’s Starliner capsule
Critical tests are on tap this weekend to confirm Boeing's Starliner capsule can safety carry its two-person crew back to Earth despite unexpected helium leaks and degraded maneuvering thrusters, officials said Thursday.
VideoAs it happened: NASA, Boeing provide update on the Starliner Crew Flight Test mission
The update comes after NASA said it and Boeing completed ground hot fire testing of a reaction control system (RCS) to better understand some of the in-flight anomalies seen during the spacecraft's rendezvous and docking with the International Space Station.

NASA plans for space station’s demise with new SpaceX ‘Deorbit Vehicle’
The ISS Deorbit Vehicle, or DV, will be a custom-built, one-of-a-kind spacecraft needed to make sure the space station re-enters the atmosphere at the precise place and in the proper orientation to insure any wreckage that survives the 3,000-degree heat of re-entry will crash harmlessly into the sea.