Remember back in June when I assured you that the two astronauts who flew to the ISS on Boeing’s new Starliner manned spacecraft weren’t actually “stranded,” according to NASA? Well, NASA still insists they aren’t stranded, but has made the decision to return astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore to Earth aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. This seems to be the best way to ensure the astronauts’ safety, although many SpaceX/Elon Musk fans will be thrilled by this decision for reasons that have very little to do with safety.
NASA stands by its opinion and says that in an emergency Butch and Suni could Take the Starliner home, as the mission FAQ states:
Are Butch and Suni stuck on the space station?
No, Butch and Suni are safely aboard the space station working alongside the Expedition 71 crew. They have also been actively involved in the Starliner’s testing and technical meetings. Butch and Suni could return home aboard the Starliner in an emergency. The agency also has other return options in place if needed, both for emergency and normal return planning.
Nevertheless, this is a bad image for Boeing, which already does not have the best reputation when it comes to building safe vehicles.
The problem with the Starliner spacecraft began on June 6 as the capsule approached the space station. Helium leaks were detected in the reaction control system engines that allow the spacecraft to steer and orient itself in space. Although Boeing claims that 27 of the 28 RCS engines are OK and operating at full capacity, NASA has nevertheless decided to send the two astronauts home on the SpaceX Dragon, which is scheduled to bring astronauts to the station as early as February 2025.
Here is NASA’s reasoning for their decision:
Since then, engineering teams have completed a significant amount of work, including reviewing a data suite, conducting flight and ground tests, conducting independent reviews with agency propulsion experts, and developing various return contingency plans. The uncertainty and lack of expert judgment do not meet the agency’s safety and performance requirements for human spaceflight, prompting NASA leadership to move the astronauts to the Crew-9 mission.
Oh, what does a little uncertainty and a lack of professional agreement between friends matter?
Effective immediately, the Crew-9 mission, which will launch no earlier than September 24, will be reduced from four astronauts to two. In February 2025, Butch and Suni will return, completing the full crew of four astronauts, with the two Starliner astronauts filling in as part of the normal six-month rotation.
(Williams and Wilmore in the hatch between the ISS and the Starliner. Image credit: NASA)
NASA’s decision appears to be centered around the safety of the astronauts, and that’s a good thing. NASA is also careful not to describe their return in the context of a “rescue,” insisting that Starliner could bring them home in an emergency, and they won’t launch a special Dragon capsule to pick them up; they’re just reshuffling the crew for an already scheduled launch.
Still, this is a huge delay and a much longer mission than Williams or Wilmore had planned for. And while astronauts they are surely ready and perhaps even excited to spend more time in space, it must be tough for their people stuck here on Earth.
And, oh boy, is this embarrassing for Boeing. It doesn’t matter if the capsule could or if 27 of the 28 engines work properly, this is a PR disaster. Boeing’s already tarnished reputation has not need something like this, and although NASA insists that the SpaceX capsule will not “rescue” the astronauts, that is pretty much how it will be perceived by the general public, and especially by SpaceX/Tesla/Elon Musk fans, and they will probably have a lot of fun with it when the Dragon returns to Earth.
Interestingly, it is possible – although I do not complete sure – that this is only the second time a manned spacecraft has gone into space with astronauts and returned empty? I believe the first was when a Soyuz capsule docked to the station had a bad coolant leak in late 2022; that Soyuz returned to Earth empty, and another Soyuz was launched empty and returned with three crew members, which was also a first – the first manned spacecraft to go into space empty and return with people. So Starliner at least has the potential?
No, astronauts on the ISS are not stranded because of Boeing’s Starliner, no matter what you read
Boeing’s new spacecraft launches to the ISS and is only the tenth manned spacecraft type of humanity
A Soyuz spacecraft will launch to the ISS to replace the one damaged by a coolant leak – a very special space premiere
