Boeing's Starliner astronauts may return to the SpaceX capsule in February 2025, NASA says.
WASHINGTON: Two astronauts delivered to the International Space Station by Boeing's Starliner in June could return to the SpaceX crew in February 2025 if the Starliner is still deemed unsafe to return to Earth, NASA officials said Wednesday.
The U.S. space agency has discussed potential plans with SpaceX to free up two seats on Crew Dragon launches for NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sonny Williams, who were the first crew members to fly Boeing's Starliner capsule.
The astronauts' test mission, originally expected to last about eight days at the station, has been plagued by problems with the Starliner's propulsion system that have increasingly called into question the spacecraft's ability to return them safely to Earth as planned.
A Boeing spokesman said that if NASA decides to change the Starliner's mission, the company will take steps to configure the Starliner to return without a crew.
Thruster failures during Starliner's initial approach to the International Space Station in June and several leaks of helium — used to pressurize those thrusters — prompted Boeing to launch a test campaign to understand the cause and propose solutions to NASA, which has the final say. It has started. Recent results have uncovered new information, prompting further alarm about safe returns.
The latest test data has fueled controversy and debate within NASA over whether to risk returning the Starliner to Earth or request the use of Crew Dragon instead.
Using a SpaceX spacecraft to bring back astronauts that Boeing had planned to bring back to the Starliner would be a major blow to the aerospace giant, which has struggled for years to compete with SpaceX and the more experienced Crew Dragon.
Starliner spent 63 of a possible 90 days docked at the ISS, parked in the same port that Crew Dragon will use to deliver future astronauts.
Early Tuesday morning, NASA delivered a routine shipment of food and supplies, including extra clothes for Wilmore and Williams, to the station using a SpaceX rocket and a Northrop Grumman capsule.
The high-risk Starliner mission is a final test required before NASA can certify the spacecraft for routine astronaut flights to and from the International Space Station. Crew Dragon received NASA approval for astronaut flights in 2020.
Development of the Starliner has been delayed by numerous management and engineering issues. It has cost Boeing $1.6 billion since 2016, including $125 million from the current Starliner test mission, securities filings show.
Concern at NASA
A meeting this week of NASA's commercial crew program, which oversees Starliner, ended with some officials opposing a plan to accept test data from Boeing and use Starliner to return astronauts home, officials said at a news conference.
“We didn't poll in a way that led to conclusions,” said Steve Stich, head of the Commercial Crew program.
“We heard from a lot of people who had concerns, and the decision was not clear-cut,” added Ken Bowersox, head of NASA's space operations.
A Boeing executive was not present at Wednesday's press conference.
While no decision has been made on whether to use Starliner or Crew Dragon, NASA has bought more time to conduct more tests and gather more data to make a better case for trusting Starliner. Next week is when NASA expects to make a decision, officials said.
The agency on Tuesday delayed by more than a month SpaceX's upcoming Crew Dragon mission, a routine flight called Crew-9 that will carry three NASA astronauts and a Russian astronaut to the International Space Station.
NASA's ISS program chief said the agency has not yet decided what astronauts Willmore and Williams will carry if needed.
Boeing's tests so far have shown that four Starliner jets failed in June because they overheated and shut down automatically, while other engines that fired again during the tests appeared to be weaker than normal because There are some limitations in their engines.
Ground tests in late July at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico showed that overheating thrusters caused Teflon seals to warp and choke the propellant tubes, weakening their thrust.
Explaining why NASA is now more willing to discuss the possibilities of Crew Dragon after downplaying such a possible prospect, Stich said: “I would say it raises the level of uneasiness and not fully understanding the physics of what's going on.” is giving.” reporters
