Boeing’s Starliner will return to Earth empty, and the two astronauts who took it into orbit on a test flight. They will return in a capsule that was built by a competing company, SpaceX.
NASA’s long-awaited decision means astronauts will have until February to cool their heels on the International Space Station.
And it’s a stunning blow to Boeing’s troubled Starliner program, which has been plagued by delays and technical problems.
“Space flight is risky, even at its safest and even its most routine. And a test flight, by nature, is neither safe nor routine, “NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said at a press briefing on Saturday.
He noted that the decision was made in the context of NASA officials Knowing that past mistakes resulted in the loss of two space shuttles and their crews. “Our core value is safety and this is our North Star.
It wasn’t an easy decision but it’s the right one, “added NASA Associate Administrator Jim Frey.
In early June, astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Sunny” Williams embarked on a trip to the station aboard Starliner that was scheduled to last about eight days. But it’ll be eight months.
This is because the malfunction occurred during the test flight. NASA and Boeing spent weeks trying to understand the cause of the helium leak and astrophysical behavior by thrusters that inexplicably ejected as the Starliner approached the station.
“It’s been a long summer for our team,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, who said the situation with thrusters is too complicated to know if they can fail at a critical time. “There was a lot of uncertainty in the prediction of the thrusters.
That’s why the agency turned to its trusted partner SpaceX, which has been successfully providing taxi services to and from the station for several years.
A SpaceX capsule was already scheduled to fly to the station next month, with its return trip scheduled for February. NASA has decided to put things back on track. So that two seats in the capsule would be free and available for Williams and Wilmore to catch a ride home.
“It just became the easiest and best option, and the most effective option,” says Stich.
And both astronauts supported the agency’s decision, even though it means more time away from their loved ones on Earth, says Norm Knight, director of flight operations at NASA. Williams and Wilmore are both experienced astronauts. He has spent months on the International Space Station in the past.
Putting a rival strong foot forward to complete a high-profile, milestone mission is an embarrassing development for aerospace giant Boeing, which has long had problems with the Starliner.
In 2019, Starliner’s first uncrewed test flight also failed to reach the station. The second test flight, in 2022, was a successful concept, but later engineers encountered troublesome issues such as the use of adhesive tape that was flammable. Resolving these issues delayed its first flight with astronauts.
For a decade, both Boeing and SpaceX have made deals with NASA as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, which was set up to allow the industry to provide regular flights to the nearest space station to free NASA to focus on getting to the moon. and beyond it.
Boeing received significantly more money from SpaceX to develop the space taxi. But while Starliner has yet to complete a crewed round-trip flight to the ISS, SpaceX has done a number of crewed missions for NASA.
In a statement on X, formerly called Twitter, Boeing said the company is “focused, first and foremost, on crew and spacecraft safety. We are carrying out the mission set out by NASA, and we are preparing the spacecraft for a safe and successful uncrewed return.
Administrator Nelson said he had spoken with Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, and Ortberg said the company would continue to work to understand the issues once the Starliner returned safely.
NASA officials said they will meet next week to discuss Starliner’s return, and it may be able to undock from the station and return to Earth early next month.