It’s a tough call that NASA is having to face: whether to take back its astronauts on Earth in Boeing’s beleaguered Starliner or turn to SpaceX’s Crew Dragon for a rescue mission.
Since early June, the Starliner capsule, “Calypso,” has been parked at the ISS because a series of thruster malfunctions occurred at the point of docking. This has created significant concerns within NASA about the spacecraft’s capability to safely return astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.
“We fully confidence in the Starliner spacecraft, and its capability to return with crew,” said a Boeing spokesperson. But internal NASA deliberations paint a murkier picture. The space agency still doesn’t know what caused those thruster failures, so it still hasn’t agreed on the best course of action.
This has also affected SpaceX’s planned Crew-9 mission, delaying it to September 24 to allow NASA to finalize its plans for the Starliner. Crew-9 was originally slated to launch on August 18 but can’t launch until a docking port at the ISS is opened up—currently occupied by the Starliner.
According to Ken Bowersox, NASA Associate Administrator for Space Operations, prospects of an uncrewed Starliner return have shifted in favor recently. “New data coming in, new analysis, different discussion, we could find ourselves shifting in another way,” he said.
The Starliner mission, scheduled to last at least nine days, has now gone on for over two months as NASA and Boeing have put the spacecraft through its paces. Tests by engineers found that likely flaws in the thrusters of the spacecraft were caused by Teflon seals bulging out of place during ascent and blocking the propellant flow. While a hot-fire test conducted on July 27 showed normal thrust, there is fear that the problem could show up again during a descent.
The situation is emergent,” said Steve Stich, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program manager. “We need to probably decide likely in the middle of August one path or the other to go ahead and meet the launch date for Crew-9.”.
If NASA decides to bring the Starliner back empty, then taking Wilmore and Williams home in a SpaceX Crew Dragon would be the likeliest alternative. Two astronauts would have to be pulled from the Crew-9 mission to open up space for those who are stranded on the station.
The decision is full of complexity and risk. NASA officials have used the word “uncertainty” many times in recent discussions, showing that they are overwhelmed to a great extent by what is ahead. As Bowersox commented, “We have to compare all those risks and we’ll weigh all that as we make our final decision.”
The result of NASA deliberations will thus affect not only the future of the Boeing Starliner program but also the broader commercial crew strategy of the space agency. For the moment, the space community holds its breath as NASA navigates this critical juncture.