NASA's first crewed mission with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft has faced significant setbacks, potentially delaying the return of astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams from the International Space Station (ISS) until 2025. This mission, originally scheduled for a brief 10-day stay, has been extended indefinitely due to ongoing technical issues with the spacecraft.
Boeing's Starliner, which docked at the ISS in June 2024, encountered thruster problems that have necessitated a thorough review and additional testing. NASA and Boeing are now considering various return options, including using a SpaceX Dragon capsule if Starliner remains unfit for reentry.
#BREAKING NASA confirms that two veteran astronauts are stranded in space, with their return delayed until 2025. The Boeing Starliner piloted by Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams has suffered critical damage, and now, Mission Control might turn to Elon Musk's SpaceX for a rescue… pic.twitter.com/0nSst1puAR
— Mohit Kalra (@Mohit_Emkay) August 8, 2024
The Starliner mission was initially designed to demonstrate the spacecraft's capabilities as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. However, the thruster issues experienced during the mission have raised concerns about the spacecraft's readiness for operational use. These problems follow previous uncrewed test flights in 2019 and 2022 that also encountered technical difficulties.
NASA officials have expressed cautious optimism about resolving the issues but have emphasized the need for thorough testing. "The more time you have to get more data, the more excited [the engineers get]," said Amy Decker of Starliner’s chief engineer's office. The extended mission provides an opportunity to gather valuable data that can help improve the spacecraft's performance in future missions.
Long story short. Boeing never finished the autonomous flight software for Starliner before it launched. They now want to upload that software so they can fly it back without a crew. NASA won’t approve it because if it fails Starliner could potentially block the docking port.🤷🏽♂️ pic.twitter.com/S8KiPAe1jJ
— Hey, Dave! (@davegreenidge57) August 11, 2024
As a contingency plan, NASA is exploring the possibility of returning Wilmore and Williams on a SpaceX Dragon capsule. This option underscores the importance of having multiple commercial partners for crew transportation to the ISS. SpaceX has been reliably ferrying astronauts to and from the ISS since 2020, making it a viable backup for this mission.
The decision to extend the Starliner mission has also created logistical challenges for upcoming ISS operations. The spacecraft must undock to make way for other planned missions, including SpaceX Crew-9. This has led to adjustments in the ISS schedule, with Crew-8 potentially staying onboard longer to accommodate the delays.
Despite the setbacks, NASA remains committed to the Starliner program. The agency and Boeing are working diligently to address the thruster issues and ensure the spacecraft's safety and reliability. "We're really working to try to follow the data and see when's the earliest that we could target for undock and landing," said NASA’s Steve Stich. "I think some of the data suggests, optimistically, maybe it's by the end of July, but we'll just follow the data each step at a time".
In the meantime, the extended stay at the ISS allows for additional troubleshooting and readiness evaluations, which are crucial for the planned six-month operational missions starting with Starliner-1 in 2025. This period will also enable teams to refine the spacecraft's systems and procedures, ensuring future missions are not plagued by similar issues.
