NASA’s Starliner Crew Stuck in Space: Return Delays and SpaceX Rescue Plans Revealed

In June, two astronauts from the Starliner mission to launch to the International Space Station (ISS), but should only stay about 10 days It’s been two months already (and it’s still far from over). NASA announced this Wednesday (7) that Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore can get a trip with SpaceX, but this should only happen in 2025.

The space agency and Boeing, responsible for Starliner, downplayed the problems with the spacecraft a few weeks ago, saying that the pair would still return in the original capsule. Now, however, those responsible have admitted that they will use another vehicle for the return trip and SpaceX can help with that.

“We’re kind of in a new situation here where we have a number of options. We don’t just need to bring a crew back to Starliner, for example. We could bring them back in another vehicle,” said Ken Bowersox, associate administrator for NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate and a former astronaut.

read more

But the hammer has not been dropped yet, as there are still other decisions to be made. If the return is by SpaceX, the Crew Dragon capsule would be sent with only two astronauts (as opposed to the usual four) and there would be room for Suni and Butch. But even this is not certain, as the teams are still assessing how failures in the Starliner capsule’s thrusters will affect getting away from the ISS.

Crew-9, SpaceX’s next operational flight to the ISS designed for four astronauts, will now be launched on September 24 instead of August 18 (postponed only because of the problems with Starliner). In that case, NASA could send just two astronauts to Crew-9 and bring the Starliner crew with them sometime around February 2025.

Starliner mission launch

The Starliner Manned Flight Test – or CFT – was launched on June 5, atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket, from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, in Florida. This happened after a series of cancellations.

The last abort was due to a helium leak in the capsule. It was not understood that the problem was so serious, and the spacecraft went away to the ISS. Along the way, more helium leaks were identified. The capsule took more than an hour longer than expected to dock at the orbital laboratory. Additional tests are required on the spacecraft, justifying the postponement of the return to Earth. Tests, however, show that Starliner is unable to return.

In addition to this is the fact that the historic launch is part of a billion-dollar contract between Boeing and NASA to send crews to the ISS. Now, the future of the cooperation project between the two companies is uncertain.