The fate of two NASA astronauts “stuck” onboard the International Space Station (ISS) should be decided sooner rather than later, and the outcome might be surprising.
For a long time, the space agency downplayed the issues that Boeing’s crewed Starliner capsule encountered on the way toward the ISS. It didn’t appreciate press questions about the hypothetical emergency mission carried by Boeing’s competitor SpaceX and its Crew Dragon capsule.
However, insider information now indeed points toward this possibility which, according to Ars Technica’s sources, is “significantly higher” than a successful Starliner return mission.
The flight with two astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, is Starliner’s final, long-delayed test before it becomes officially certified for full-fledged NASA missions. However, the capsule faced issues along the way. Specifically, it faced helium leaks and several thrusters malfunctions.
Since the early June launch, Boeing conducted rigorous testing of the thrusters – both on the ground and in orbit – to track the root cause. However, the root cause was not fully understood yet, CNBC reports while also confirming Ars Technica’s insider information.
There are several options for getting astronauts back down to Earth if NASA doesn’t fully trust Starliner’s ability to safely leave the ISS and land without unnecessary risk. For example, SpaceX’s upcoming Crew-9 mission could carry two instead of four astronauts to make space for Wilmore and Williams. Alternatively, Crew Dragon could take one extra passenger during the return flights of Crew-8 and Crew-9 missions.
Boeing is clearly lobbying for NASA to accept flight rationale in lieu of not fully understanding the root cause of the Starliner thruster failure. It’s an interesting choice to fight this battle in public. https://t.co/VeAbHV0XHD
— Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) August 3, 2024
The situation goes far beyond the crew’s safety, though. Both Ars and CNBC discussed the possibility of Boeing ending the ill-fated Starliner program entirely if the return mission doesn’t go as planned. This might require another test mission before the capsule can be certified, meaning Boeing would significantly increase the overall loss of the Starliner program, a whopping $1.6 billion as of July.
This would be a huge blow for both Boeing and NASA, as the agency would rely on a single provider of crew transportation. That is risky given anything can go wrong at any time – like SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket being grounded once again – so having a backup other than a cramped Russian Soyuz is vital.
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