In another embarrassing blow to Boeing, NASA decided that the Starliner spacecraft will return to Earth in September – with nobody on board.
It was supposed to be an 8-day mission. The two astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, set off for the International Space Station on June 5th and should have returned just over a week after arriving there.
Unfortunately, the Boeing Starliner suffered helium leaks, causing malfunctions in 5 out of 28 thrusters during its trip to the ISS. This caused NASA to shelve any plans for a quick return to Earth. The two astronauts joined the rest of the ISS crew to assist with various experiments while they waited.
Initially, thoughts that the Boeing test pilots would have to abandon the Starliner seemed far-fetched. From the outset, the prospect of the astronauts having to hitch a ride in the SpaceX Crew Dragon was an embarrassing thought experiment for Boeing.
That’s because Boeing developed the Starliner as an alternative method of carrying astronauts to space alongside the SpaceX Crew Dragon. And for the astronauts, the vehicle change means a very long extension to their already-overextended mission.
Next month, a Crew Dragon will reach the ISS with two astronauts instead of four, as initially planned. Boeing Starliner astronauts Willmore and Williams will use the two empty seats to fly back to Earth. But this won’t happen until February next year.
Boeing – What To Do With Starliner?
In the previous days, Boeing had anxiously waited for NASA’s decision on the fate of the Starliner spacecraft. Ultimately, NASA’s decision on the matter was unanimous. The announcement came at a press conference in Houston, Texas.
The two stranded astronauts are space veterans. Before this mission, Williams had been on the ISS on four different expeditions, flying there on the Space Shuttle and Soyuz aircraft. She also holds the record for most spacewalks by a woman.
Wilmore has flown to the ISS three times, including as a Space Shuttle pilot. Both astronauts also had extensive military careers before flying to space as U.S. Navy test pilots. NASA stated that both astronauts are prepared to remain on the ISS until their return next year.
For Boeing, the Starliner was already four to five years late and has so far added $1.6 billion to its budget overruns in the last eight years. NASA stated that it hopes Boeing doesn’t abandon the program.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson stated that he spoke with Boeing’s new CEO, Kelly Ortberg. He said that Ortberg intends for Boeing to continue to work on the problems that Starliner is facing once the vehicle is back on Earth.
More broadly, it will be interesting to see if Ortberg decides to change something in this program, given Boeing’s challenges elsewhere. Beyond its issues with commercial aircraft, Boeing faces other challenges involving military programs, like the KC-46 tanker and the T-7 trainer aircraft.
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