The return of astronauts stuck on the ISS from Boeing Starliner may be entrusted to SpaceX

Due to engine problems and a helium leak on the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, American astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore have been stuck on the International Space Station for almost two months, although they were supposed to stay on the station for only two weeks. Perhaps their return will be entrusted to SpaceX, whose Crew Dragon spacecraft has been flying to the ISS for several years.

Image source: nasa.gov

«We use two different systems to fly,” Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, said at a press conference on Thursday, referring to the Boeing Starliner and SpaceX Crew Dragon. “Obviously, the backup option is to use another system. I would prefer not to go into all the details until that time comes, if it ever comes,” the official added. As part of this program, SpaceX and Boeing received funds to develop spacecraft that are reliable enough for NASA astronauts to fly. SpaceX solved the problem faster and cheaper: the first manned flight of the Crew Dragon took place in 2020, and the Boeing Starliner delivered astronauts to the ISS for the first time only now, and it is not clear whether it will be able to bring them back.

SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk described the competitor’s problem on the day of Starliner’s launch. “There is too much non-technical management at Boeing,” he wrote on his social network X. The astronauts arrived at the ISS aboard the Starliner back on June 6 and were supposed to stay there for 8 days. This is a test flight, and the goal was simply to fly there, leave the ship docked at the station for a week for testing, and return to Earth, which would confirm the functionality of Starliner.

«We kept saying: “a mission for at least eight days.” I think we all knew it would last longer. And they didn’t waste time talking about how much longer. It’s a shame we didn’t just say, ‘We’re going to stay there until we do everything we want to do,’” Mark Nappi, vice president and head of the Commercial Crew Program at Boeing, said yesterday. NASA had previously determined that Starliner’s stay in orbit would last up to 45 days, depending on how the ship’s batteries performed in space. To date, the astronauts and spacecraft have been on the station for 52 days.

According to the latest data, Williams and Wilmore will remain on the ISS until mid-August, and Boeing will continue to troubleshoot problems – the deadline has been extended to 90 days. Testing of Starliner’s replacement engine is currently underway at NASA’s White Sands test site in New Mexico and is not yet complete. Engineers are reproducing engine problems that arose while the spacecraft was heading to the ISS. Next up is a simulation of the return trip, which will help determine whether Starliner’s engines can safely return the astronauts home.

«NASA always has backup options. We know a little about what they are, and we haven’t worked them out fully, but we kind of know what they are. But right now our immediate focus is getting Butch and Suni home on the Starliner. Someday, Starliner could become a reserve for the Dragon mission,” Stich said. NASA and Boeing have repeatedly emphasized that there is no threat to Williams and Wilmore.