NASA: Astronauts stuck in Boeing Starliner to return in 2025 with SpaceX

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA decided Saturday that returning two astronauts to Earth in Boeing’s new, troubled capsule was too risky, and they will have to wait until next year to return to Earth with SpaceX. The first such flight was supposed to be in 15 minutes. One week trial flight Because the pair will now last for more than eight months.

The veteran pilots have been stuck on the International Space Station since early June. A series of disturbing motives Helium malfunctions and leaks In the new capsule, their trip to the space station was ruined, and they ended up in a holding pattern as engineers. Conducted tests and discussed. What do I do about the return flight?

After nearly three months, the decision finally came from the top of NASA on Saturday. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will return in a SpaceX capsule in February. The empty Starliner capsule will separate in early September and attempt to return automatically, landing in the New Mexico desert.

As Starliner test pilots, the duo were supposed to oversee this crucial final stage of the journey.

“Test flights are by their nature neither safe nor routine,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, adding that the decision “comes from a commitment to safety.”

Lessons learned from NASA’s two space shuttle accidents played a significant role, Nelson said, noting that open dialogue was encouraged this time rather than squashed.

“This was not an easy decision, but it is absolutely the right decision,” added NASA Associate Administrator Jim Frye.

It was a major blow to Boeing, adding to the company’s ongoing safety concerns with its aircraft. Boeing had been counting on the first crewed flight of Starliner to revive its struggling space program after years of delays and soaring balloon costs. The company had insisted that Starliner was safe based on all recent propulsion tests, both in space and on the ground.

Boeing did not participate in NASA’s press conference on Saturday, but issued a statement saying, “Boeing continues to focus, first and foremost, on the safety of the crew and the spacecraft.” The company said it is preparing the spacecraft for a “safe and successful return.”

NASA made the right decision, said Jan Osburg, a senior engineer at Rand Corp. who specializes in space and defense. “But the U.S. is still embarrassed by Starliner design problems that should have been discovered earlier.”

Wilmore, 61, and Williams, 58, are retired Navy captains with long-duration spaceflight experience. Before their June 5 launch from Cape Canaveral, Wilmore and Williams said their families had come to terms with the uncertainty and stress that has accompanied their careers for decades.

During their time The only orbital press conference Last month, the astronauts said they were confident the thrust tests would go ahead. They said they had no complaints and enjoyed contributing to the space station.

The Russian Soyuz space capsule docked at the station is more compact, as it can carry only three astronauts – two of them Russians who have completed a year-long mission.

So Wilmore and Williams will wait for SpaceX’s next taxi flight, which is scheduled to launch in late September with two astronauts instead of four. NASA plans to pull two astronauts to make room for Wilmore and Williams on the return flight in late February.

NASA said it was not seriously considering a SpaceX rescue request. Last year, the Russian space agency had to rush a rescue from space. Soyuz replacement capsule For three men whose original spacecraft was damaged by space debris, the switch delayed their six-month mission to just over a year.

Former Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield praised the decision via X: “It’s good to err on the side of caution for the sake of astronauts’ lives.” Long missions are “what astronauts work their entire careers for. I’d accept this decision in a heartbeat!”

Starliner’s problems began long before its final flight.

In 2019, bad software ruined the first uncrewed test flight, prompting a repeat attempt in 2022. Then came parachute and other problems, including a helium leak in the capsule’s propulsion system that canceled the launch attempt in May. The leak was eventually deemed isolated and small enough not to be a concern. But more leaks emerged after liftoff, and five thrusters failed.

All but one of those small engines were working again. But engineers were puzzled by ground tests that showed the engine seal had swelled and blocked the fuel line. They theorized that the seals might have expanded in orbit and then returned to their normal size. Officials said the results were a turning point, as their concerns grew.

“With all the uncertainty about how the thrusters would perform, there was a lot of risk for the crew,” Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager, told reporters.

These 28 engines are essential. In addition to being necessary for rendezvous with the space station, they keep the capsule pointed in the right direction at the end of the journey, with the larger engines steering the spacecraft out of orbit. Getting the spacecraft into orbit incorrectly could be disastrous.

With the Columbia space shuttle disaster still fresh in many minds — the shuttle broke apart during reentry in 2003, killing all seven aboard — NASA has made an extra effort to foster open discussion about Starliner’s ability to return.

Despite Saturday’s decision, NASA has not given up on Boeing. Nelson said he is “100 percent” certain Starliner will fly again.

NASA entered its commercial crew program a decade ago and wanted two competing American companies to fly astronauts in the post-space shuttle era. Boeing won the largest contract: more than $4 billion, compared with $2.6 billion for SpaceX.

Having already successfully flown supply flights to the station, SpaceX completed the first of its nine crewed flights in 2020, while Boeing has been plagued by design flaws that have cost the company more than $1 billion. NASA officials remain hopeful that Starliner’s problems can be fixed in time for another crewed flight in a year or so.

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