NASA officials said at a press conference Wednesday that mission operators are continuing to evaluate whether the Starliner can safely complete the return flight.
According to NASA, the Starliner crew could be in space by February
The astronauts will work on the International Space Station until NASA decides whether they can return on the Starliner.
- The U.S. space agency is also continuing to consider having Wilmore and Williams return to Earth aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule instead, which would extend their stay on the space station into February.
- Engineers collect and analyze data in advance of another flight readiness check, which rarely occurs during a mission.
The fate of the Boeing Starliner crew remains uncertain as NASA and Boeing continue to work on a plan to bring the two astronauts home more than two months after docking with the International Space Station.
NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams were supposed to spend just over a week in orbit in June before parachuting back to Earth in the Starliner capsule. But as the weeks pass, officials at NASA and Boeing still haven’t figured out the best way to get the two back to Earth.
In a press conference on Wednesday, NASA officials said mission operators are continuing to evaluate whether the Starliner can safely complete the return trip. The U.S. space agency is also continuing to consider having Wilmore and Williams return to Earth aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule instead, which would extend their stay on the space station into February.
NASA officials said the decision is expected to be made by the end of August.
“The decision of whether or not we’re going to have a crew on board when Starliner returns is a pretty important discussion,” Ken Bowersox, NASA’s deputy director of space operations, said Wednesday. “We still have time before we bring Starliner home, and we want to use that time wisely.”
Schedule for the Boeing Starliner: 2 months after the launch of the Starliner, the astronauts have still not returned
NASA officials prepare for another flight readiness review
The Starliner capsule – built with the intention of regularly transporting crews and supplies to the station on behalf of NASA – remains Wilmore and Williams’ preferred mode of transportation when they finally make their return journey.
However, NASA and Boeing have contingency plans in place to ensure the experienced astronauts – both of whom have been to space twice – get home one way or another.
The ailing Starliner was already plagued with problems before it finally launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on its first crewed test flight on June 5. When Wilmore and Williams reached the International Space Station the next day, engineers discovered a series of helium leaks and problems with the spacecraft’s propulsion system that hampered Starliner’s return to Earth.
The mounting delays have raised questions about whether Starliner is even capable of returning NASA astronauts safely, despite Boeing’s insistence that it will. The aerospace company has not issued an update on the mission since August 2.
A flight readiness review is required before the launch of any NASA mission, and under special circumstances, NASA scientists may need to repeat that review process during the mission, Bowersox said Wednesday.
That’s exactly what’s happening now as flight engineers collect and analyze data from the Starliner. Bowersox expects data analysis could be completed by the end of next week, ahead of another flight readiness review the following week.
“Right now, Butch and Suni are well integrated on the International Space Station,” Bowersox said. “I know they are making the most of this time, but I’m sure they are waiting for a decision just like the rest of us.”
SpaceX Crew-9 previously delayed
Amid hectic efforts to make a decision on the Starliner, the US space agency had previously decided to postpone the launch of SpaceX Crew-9.
That mission was originally scheduled to launch to the space station on Sunday as a routine flight to replace the Crew-8 mission that has been aboard the International Space Station since March. However, because the four Crew-9 members will not be able to reach the station until the docking slot occupied by Starliner becomes available, that mission will not take place before September 24, according to NASA.
To avoid further delays, Starliner must undock with or without a crew by then. Whether four or two astronauts head to the International Space Station for the six-month Crew 9 rotation depends on whether Wilmore and Williams are on board Starliner when it departs.
If Starliner leaves empty, Wilmore and Williams should have room to return home on Dragon on February 25, once the Crew 9 team finishes its shift.
What happened to the Boeing Starliner?
After several delays over the course of about a month, the Boeing Starliner finally launched on an Atlas V rocket on June 5.
The mission was the first crewed demonstration of the spacecraft, which is designed to compete with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to conduct routine space trips on behalf of NASA. The partnership marks a shift in recent years for the US space agency, which, to save costs, now pays private companies for missions it used to carry out itself.
Approving the Starliner for such missions would give NASA a second operational spacecraft to transport astronauts and cargo to the space station after spending billions of dollars with Boeing and SpaceX to develop the vehicles.
But Boeing is lagging behind SpaceX, which began reliably transporting astronauts and supplies to the space station aboard its Dragon aircraft in 2020. Hopes were high that a successful Starliner launch – the first demonstration with a crew on board – would put Boeing on track.
It remains to be seen whether Starliner could still be approved for manned rotation missions if the capsule returns without a crew.
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]
