NASA announced on Wednesday that astronauts delivered to the International Space Station (ISS) by Boeing’s Starliner might return to Earth on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon in February 2025 if Starliner is still considered unsafe.
The Starliner spacecraft, launched in June, carried two astronauts to the ISS in a crucial test mission needed for NASA to certify it for regular astronaut flights.
Originally planned to last about eight days, the mission has been extended significantly due to various issues with the craft’s propulsion system, which Boeing and NASA are urgently trying to resolve.
These issues have raised doubts about Starliner’s ability to safely bring back its crew, veteran NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams. Consequently, NASA is considering using a Crew Dragon capsule to bring them home.
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Detailed planning with SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, is underway to potentially launch their Crew-9 mission in September with only two astronauts instead of the usual four. This would allow the Crew Dragon capsule to return to Earth with Wilmore and Williams from Starliner.
Steve Stich, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program manager, mentioned that there have been intense discussions about the best course of action. Boeing remains confident in its spacecraft, having conducted ground tests to replicate the technical issues encountered in space.
NASA and Boeing have been testing at the White Sands Testing Facility in New Mexico to understand why some of Starliner’s thrusters lost power as it approached the ISS and why several helium leaks occurred, which is used to pressurize the propulsion system.
Both Boeing and SpaceX received multibillion-dollar contracts in 2014 to provide transportation to the ISS. SpaceX succeeded in 2020 and has since carried dozens of people. In contrast, Boeing’s program has faced numerous delays due to setbacks such as a software bug during its first uncrewed test and the discovery of flammable electrical tape in the cabin after the second test.
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