Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is preparing to return to Earth, but the astronauts it was meant to transport will remain on the International Space Station (ISS). The spacecraft, now operating in autonomous mode, is set to undock from the ISS at 23:04 BST (18:04 EDT).
The spacecraft encountered technical issues after its launch with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams aboard. These problems have made it too risky to use for their return trip. Instead, they will return on a SpaceX Crew Dragon, though this won’t happen until February 2025, extending their stay on the ISS from eight days to eight months.
The Starliner’s journey back to Earth will take six hours. Upon re-entering the atmosphere, it will deploy parachutes to slow its descent and land at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico at 05:03 BST (12:03 EDT) on Saturday.
NASA reports that Butch and Suni are in good spirits and maintaining regular contact with their families. Steve Stich, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program Manager, stated at a media briefing that the astronauts are dedicated to their roles and understand the importance of ensuring the spacecraft’s safe return.
This flight marked the first crewed test for Boeing’s Starliner but was marred by technical difficulties soon after its June 5 launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The capsule faced issues such as helium leaks, which affect the propulsion system, and malfunctioning thrusters. Engineers from Boeing and NASA worked for months to resolve these problems, but by late August, NASA determined that Starliner was not safe enough for the astronauts’ return.
Stich acknowledged there was “tension in the room” during the decision-making process, with Boeing contending that their spacecraft could safely bring the astronauts home.
“The Nasa team, due to the uncertainty and the modelling, could not get comfortable with that,” he said.
The decision to use SpaceX for the astronauts’ return has introduced a significant delay. The extended timeline is necessary to accommodate SpaceX’s next launch, which is set for the end of September.
Initially planned to carry four astronauts, the upcoming SpaceX mission will now have only two occupants, making space available for Butch and Suni to join the flight and return to Earth in February 2025, as part of their extended stay.
Dana Weigel, manager of the International Space Station, reported that the astronauts are adjusting well to their extended mission. Both have previous experience with long-duration space missions and are following exercise routines to maintain their health in the weightless environment. Additionally, they now have all the necessary equipment for their unplanned eight-month stay.
NASA has reaffirmed its commitment to Boeing’s spacecraft, emphasizing the importance of having two American companies capable of transporting astronauts to space. Following the retirement of the space shuttle fleet in 2011, the U.S. relied solely on Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft for a decade, a situation NASA admitted was less than ideal.
In 2014, NASA awarded contracts to Boeing and SpaceX to provide commercial space flights for astronauts. Boeing’s contract was valued at $4.2 billion, while SpaceX received $2.6 billion. To date, SpaceX has successfully completed nine crewed missions for NASA, as well as several commercial flights. In contrast, Boeing’s recent mission was its first crewed attempt.
Boeing’s Starliner has faced several delays due to development issues and technical problems during its previous uncrewed flights in 2019 and 2022. Despite these setbacks, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson expressed confidence, stating that he is “100% certain” that the Starliner will fly with a crew on board again in the future.
“When we first sent them up, they were borrowing a lot of our generic clothing that we have on board, and we have now switched some of those things out,” she said.
She explained that a resupply mission in July had delivered “specific crew preference items” that the pair had requested.
“So they actually have all of the standard expedition gear at this point that any other crew member would be able to select. And we’ve got another cargo vehicle coming up, so we’ll send up anything else that they need for the back-end half of their mission on that flight.”
The issues with Starliner have no doubt been a blow to Boeing, which is suffering from financial losses as it struggles to repair its reputation following recent in-flight incidents and two fatal accidents five years ago.
After so many problems, a trouble-free landing will be a much desired outcome for the company – and for Nasa.
”After we get the vehicle back, we’ll go through a couple months of post-flight analysis,” said Steve Stich.
“There are teams starting to look at what we do to get the vehicle fully certified in the future.”
