Boeing Starliner astronauts stranded in space for another 6 months
Aug 26, 2024, 6:22 AM
NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, wearing Boeing spacesuits, smile as they prepare to depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building for Launch Complex 41 to board the Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft for the Crew Flight Test launch at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on June 1, 2024. (Photo: Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo, Getty Images)
(Photo: Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo, Getty Images)
Over the weekend, Boeing announced that the two astronauts stuck at the International Space Station (ISS) will have to spend another six months in space.
The two astronauts, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, were initially supposed to spend nine days in space, but issues with the Boeing transportation spacecraft, the Starliner, are keeping them in orbit. Boeing announced the Starliner capsule will return to Earth next month without Williams and Wilmore on board, as they are expected to return via SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft.
The Dragon, the first private spacecraft to take humans to the ISS, is expected to launch its ninth regular mission to the ISS on Sept. 24. The Dragon is expected to then return home to Earth in February 2025.
Previous coverage on Starliner: Boeing Starliner’s return to Earth delayed indefinitely as it troubleshoots glitches
NASA officials were unanimous in their decision to choose SpaceX to bring the crew home. Boeing voted for the astronauts to return on its Starliner capsule before succumbing to NASA’s decision, citing that the crew’s safety was Boeing’s “first and foremost” priority.
“Boeing has worked very hard with NASA to get the necessary data to make this decision,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said during a press conference, according to CNBC. “We want to further understand the root causes and understand the design improvements so that the Boeing Starliner will serve as an important part of our assured crew access to the ISS.”
SpaceX, which has been able to accept contracts from NASA to transport cargo and crew to ISS since 2014, completed the certification for the Dragon in 2020.
NASA officials stated there was a “technical disagreement” between the agency and Boeing, claiming NASA evaluated risk differently than the aerospace company for returning its crew.
“NASA spent weeks analyzing issues Starliner developed on its flight to the ISS, specifically helium leaks and the overheating of small maneuvering thrusters,” CBS’ Mark Strassman told KIRO Newsradio. “That propulsion system is critical to the return flight home, including undocking and the breaking burn on the return to Earth.”
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The issues with the Starliner spacecraft and the overall mission will cost Boeing approximately $125 million. In total, Boeing has spent around $1.6 billion on the Starliner.
“There was just too much uncertainty in the prediction of the thrusters,” Strassman continued. “It was just too much risk with the crew. In a statement, Boeing said, we continue to focus first and foremost on the safety of the crew and spacecraft. We are executing the mission as determined by NASA, but NASA’s decision is bound to frustrate the legacy aerospace giant in what the space agency admitted was a dramatic change.”
Still, NASA stated the agency is 100% confident the Starliner will be able to fly astronauts to the space station again.
Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here and you can email him here.
