NASA announced on Saturday that Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, initially set for a test flight lasting just over a week, will return to Earth without astronauts on board. Instead, NASA will send a replacement vehicle to the International Space Station (ISS) to bring back astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.
The astronauts, who launched from Florida’s Space Coast in early June, encountered helium leaks and thruster issues while docked at the ISS. These problems prompted NASA and Boeing to conduct ground tests at the Army’s White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico to replicate and investigate the issues, which were initially considered minor. However, further analysis in the following weeks cast doubt on the spacecraft’s reliability for the astronauts’ return, leading NASA to opt for a future SpaceX mission to bring them back to Earth.
This decision has altered the plans for SpaceX Crew 9, which will now include the return of Wilmore and Williams, potentially delaying the mission’s liftoff from Florida’s Space Coast until September. The crew size will be reduced from four to two to accommodate the stranded astronauts, who are now expected to return in February 2025.
Until then, Wilmore and Williams will continue conducting experiments aboard the ISS while awaiting additional supplies and custom suits for their journey home. Despite these setbacks, NASA Commercial Crew Program Manager Steve Stich expressed optimism about the future of the Starliner program.
However, Boeing’s program has faced significant delays and financial losses, raising questions about its viability. As NASA continues to seek at least two U.S.-based vehicles for transporting astronauts to the ISS, SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft remains the only certified vehicle currently in operation, leaving the future of Boeing’s Starliner uncertain.
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