Reports from sources indicate that NASA will delay its Crew 9 mission to the ISS on board Boeing’s Starliner by several months, as safety concerns with the spacecraft have not yet been resolved. According to reports, an update may come this week indicating that the mission scheduled for August 18 will be delayed until September 24.
It will carry NASA astronauts Zena Cardman, Nick Hague, and Stephanie Wilson, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov, for a six-month stint aboard the ISS. Even though NASA may reconsider having two astronauts instead of four. These crew changes come because of the continuous discussions related to the safety of Starliner, which is under contract to return astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams safely to Earth.
The Starliner spacecraft was manufactured and operated by Boeing. The vehicle suffered a significant number of problems during its launch and climb to orbit two months ago, including the failure of five small thrusters. NASA still doesn’t think Starliner is safe for crewed return despite extensive ground testing and brief in-space firings. A Flight Readiness Review scheduled for last Thursday was postponed as internal disagreements at NASA about the safety of the spacecraft continued.
The first involves the performance of the small reaction control system thrusters when near the ISS. These same thrusters, should they fail with the Starliner at a critical time, could create an uncontrollable spacecraft and therefore a possible collision with the space station. These same thrusters would be required for the de-orbit burn and re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere.
NASA has been quietly looking into the possibility of the crew returning in a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft since more than a month ago. With the cause of thruster failure yet unknown, Wilmore and Williams’ return in a Dragon spacecraft increased over the past few days. When it comes down to deciding, NASA has always said, “Crew safety” will come first.
The delay of the Crew 9 mission allows NASA time to rethink the flightworthiness of Starliner. Yet another surprising reason for the delay that has just come out is that Starliner flight software is due for an upgrade. Sources have confirmed that the current software on board Starliner cannot do an automated undock from the ISS and re-enter into the Earth’s atmosphere. It is surprising, on the other hand, considering Boeing’s successful Orbital Flight Test 2 mission in May 2022 that proved these capabilities.
NASA management has been deeply engaged in discussions over whether it should return the astronauts on Starliner or instead opt for a SpaceX craft. The agency is worried about the unsettled issue of its thruster performance during docking. NASA was considering returning Starliner empty and resorting to SpaceX’s Crew Dragon to bring home the astronauts. Discussions on these matters remain uncertain, with an outcome yet to be nailed down due to the complexity of the factors involved.
The Starliner capsule “Calypso” has spent 59 days and counting in space. This should have been the final testing exercise to prove that Boeing’s spacecraft is safe to take people to and from the ISS on long-duration missions. What was originally planned for a minimum nine-day mission has since been extended sometimes as Boeing and NASA continue testing to learn more about the thruster problem.
While NASA and Boeing have been characterizing these extensions as exercises in gathering data, recent concerns reveal there is no internal confidence in the safety of Starliner. Boeing insists it has a “flight rationale” to return Starliner with the astronauts on board, saying that the spacecraft will be safe to return.
If Starliner returns uncrewed, then the most possible option would be the use of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon. This would require dropping two astronauts on the Crew-9 mission to accommodate Wilmore and Williams.
With all this in the mix, space agency NASA is not willing to compromise on anything when crew safety is at stake. The future of crewed space missions will greatly depend on the very decision that is to be taken regarding Starliner.