NASA is deliberating whether to keep two astronauts at the International Space Station (ISS) until early next year and return their malfunctioning Boeing capsule to Earth empty, as announced on Wednesday.
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams may have to stay until next February, catching a ride back on SpaceX’s next flight, rather than Boeing’s Starliner, which has encountered thruster failures and helium leaks. The astronauts, who embarked as Starliner’s first crew expecting to be away for just about a week, are now uncertain about their safe return due to these technical issues.
NASA officials stated that they are in the process of analyzing more data and plan to make a decision by the end of next week or the beginning of the following week. These thrusters are essential for maintaining the capsule’s orientation when descending from orbit.
“We’ve got time available before we bring Starliner home and we want to use that time wisely,” said Ken Bowersox, NASA’s space operations mission chief. NASA’s safety chief Russ DeLoach emphasized the importance of considering all opinions, unlike the past shuttle tragedies of Challenger and Columbia, where dissenting views were overlooked.
Switching to SpaceX would necessitate bumping two astronauts off the next ferry flight, which is aimed for late September, to accommodate Wilmore and Williams in SpaceX’s Dragon capsule. The space station has only two parking places for U.S. capsules, so Boeing’s capsule would need to depart before SpaceX’s Dragon arrives.
Although Boeing asserts that Starliner could still safely bring the astronauts home, NASA’s current crew is expected to stay until their replacements arrive, except in an emergency. Initially slated to return to Earth this month, the current crew had their mission extended to the end of September due to Starliner’s uncertainties, stretching their stay to seven months. While most ISS missions last six months, some have extended to a full year.
Wilmore and Williams, both retired Navy captains, previously spent months aboard the ISS and swiftly adapted to space station tasks, assisting with experiments and maintenance upon their arrival. “They will do what we ask them to do. That’s their job as astronauts,” NASA chief astronaut Joe Acaba stated, adding, “This mission is a test flight, and as Butch and Suni expressed ahead of their launch, they knew this mission might not be perfect.”
In an effort to secure competing services and backup options, NASA contracted SpaceX and Boeing for crew transportation to and from the ISS after the retirement of the shuttles in 2011. SpaceX’s first astronaut flight launched successfully in 2020. However, Boeing faced significant difficulties during its initial test flight without a crew in 2019, prompting a do-over. Subsequent problems have cost Boeing over $1 billion to address before finally flying astronauts.
NASA aims to make a well-informed decision to ensure astronaut safety and mission success, amid the challenges presented by Starliner’s technical issues.
