NASA Announces Decision on Boeing Starliner Crew Homeward Route Saturday

Written by Joy Roulette

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – NASA said on Thursday it expects to announce its decision on Saturday on whether two astronauts who flew Boeing Co’s Starliner to the International Space Station will need a SpaceX spacecraft to return to Earth.

“NASA is expected to make its decision on returning Starliner to Earth with astronauts no later than Saturday, August 24, at the conclusion of an agency-wide review,” the US space agency said in a statement.

The Starliner launched its first two astronauts into space in June as a crucial test before it could win NASA approval for routine flights. But the eight-day mission to the International Space Station was delayed for months after the capsule leaked fuel and some of its engines failed.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson will attend the agency-wide review, the statement said. Boeing has sought for months to allay NASA’s concerns about Starliner’s problems with new test data that the company claims proves the spacecraft is safe for astronauts.

NASA is weighing that data against its low appetite for risk on the mission, which is one of four Starliner flights since 2019 that have suffered accidents.

The agency has a backup plan to provide two seats on SpaceX’s upcoming Crew Dragon mission that the Starliner crew — veteran NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams — can use.

If NASA executes SpaceX’s backup plan, Wilmohr and Williams won’t return to Earth until that mission ends in February 2025, and Starliner will attempt to return to Earth empty.

If NASA decides Starliner is safe for astronauts to fly, the capsule will carry them home much sooner, likely within the next month to free up a docking port at the International Space Station for SpaceX’s mission.

NASA’s upcoming decision is a difficult moment for Boeing, which has struggled to develop Starliner and compete with SpaceX’s similar but more experienced Crew Dragon. Boeing has lost $1.6 billion on the Starliner program, securities filings show.

(Reporting by Joey Roulette; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Sandra Maler)