NASA to Decide Saturday on Return of Stranded Astronauts

AFP/APP

Washington: NASA is expected to decide Saturday whether two astronauts who arrived at the International Space Station aboard Boeing’s Starliner should return on that craft or brace for a longer wait to fly home with rival SpaceX.

The latter option would not only create a fresh public relations headache for Boeing, but could result in astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams spending a total of eight months in orbit, instead of the originally planned eight days.

A decision-making committee, including NASA chief Bill Nelson, will meet Saturday to discuss the issue. NASA has tentatively scheduled a news conference for 1:00 pm (1700 GMT) to announce its verdict.

The Starliner spacecraft, after years of development delays, finally lifted off in early June carrying Wilmore and Williams to the ISS. The capsule was initially set to return them to Earth after eight days, but NASA postponed their return indefinitely due to concerns with the craft’s propulsion system.

NASA officials are considering the unusual option of bringing the astronauts back aboard a previously scheduled SpaceX vehicle in February.

Engineers at Boeing and NASA have spent weeks conducting tests on the Starliner’s systems to identify the problem. Their concern is that the craft may not have the power to break out of orbit and begin its descent to Earth.

If the Starliner is deemed unsafe, it would return without passengers. The SpaceX Crew-9 mission would then take off in late September, carrying only two passengers instead of the planned four, and would return in February with its own crew plus the two stranded astronauts.

This scenario would be a significant blow to Boeing’s reputation, already marred by safety and quality control concerns in recent years. Following the retirement of the Space Shuttle, NASA ordered new vessels from Boeing and SpaceX to ferry astronauts to and from the ISS. SpaceX, however, beat Boeing to the punch and has been the sole vehicle for astronaut transportation for the past four years.

This year’s crewed Starliner flight was intended to be the last test before the vehicle enters regular operations. NASA has assured that the astronauts on the ISS have ample supplies, are trained for extended stays, and have plenty of experiments to conduct.