"Voting from 420km Above the Sky"…Even Americans Stranded in Space Cast Presidential Votes

Extended Stay Due to Technical Issues
Unusual '420km High Altitude Absentee Voting'

Due to technical issues, astronauts aboard the American Boeing space capsule 'CST-100 Starliner' (Starliner), currently stranded on the International Space Station (ISS), are set to cast their valuable votes in the upcoming U.S. presidential election this November.

On the 13th, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore (right) and Sunita Williams held a video press conference at the International Space Station (ISS).
[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

On the 13th (local time), foreign media including AP and Sputnik reported that Starliner astronaut Barry "Butch" Wilmore, who is staying on the ISS, has applied for absentee voting ahead of the November U.S. presidential election. If Wilmore casts his absentee ballot, it will mark the first time in history that a vote has been cast from 420 km above the Earth. During a press conference that day, he encouraged American citizens to "cast their votes in this election where Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are competing."

The reason he became a 'space voter' is that although he originally planned to stay on the ISS for only eight days, his stay was extended to eight months due to technical problems. The Starliner, launched on June 5, docked with the ISS the next day, but issues arose during the flight, including helium leakage and malfunctioning of some maneuvering thrusters.

NASA continued to postpone the Starliner's return while collecting and analyzing data, eventually deciding to return the Starliner to Earth without astronauts aboard. As a result, the Starliner returned to Earth last week without any crew. U.S. Navy pilot Sunita Williams and Wilmore had to watch the Starliner, which had problems, return to Earth on the 6th without them aboard.

Williams said, "Honestly, I was glad it landed safely on Earth without any issues," adding, "I wish it good luck." Wilmore calmly explained, "You wouldn't want to see a spacecraft leave without its pilots, but that's the situation we're in."

NASA has decided to use SpaceX's space capsule 'Dragon,' led by Elon Musk, for the astronauts' return. SpaceX's Dragon is scheduled to depart for the ISS on the 24th, complete its own mission, and then return in February next year with Wilmore and Williams, who will be staying on the ISS.