NASA classifies the incident of stranded astronauts as a serious event

SadaNews - The American space agency (NASA) classified the spacecraft malfunction that forced astronauts to stay at the International Space Station for about nine months longer than planned as a serious event.

The space agency stated in a release on Thursday: "Due to the loss of maneuverability of the spacecraft while the crew approached the space station and the associated financial damages, NASA has classified the test flight as a Category A incident."

Category A incidents are the highest classification at NASA.

NASA stated: "While there were no injuries and the mission regained control prior to docking, this higher-level designation acknowledges that there was a potential for a major accident."

The two American astronauts, Sunny Williams and Barry Wilmore, arrived at the International Space Station in early June 2024 on the first crewed test flight of Boeing's Starliner vehicle. They were supposed to stay in space for just one week, but numerous technical issues with the spacecraft left them stranded.

They eventually returned to Earth after nine months on a different spacecraft.

The statement indicated that an independent investigation found that a combination of "device malfunctions, qualification gaps, and piloting errors created risk conditions inconsistent with NASA's human spaceflight safety standards." The investigation into the technical causes is still ongoing.