The Boeing Starliner spacecraft designed to ferry astronauts has started to come home empty. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, the crew members Boeing had hoped to take back to Earth, will return to the International Space Station (ISS) and fly home on a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule in February next year – eight months longer than the eight days the two NASA astronauts were slated to stay.
The Starliner capsule, launched on 5 June 2023, had multiple technical problems when it arrived in orbit , including helium leaks in its tanks and thrusters that did not activate.NASA eventually determined that the spacecraft was too risky for the astronauts to return home.
After months of investigations, NASA brought the astronauts home on SpaceX’s vehicle, which had been reliable at every stage. Boeing had argued that Starliner would be able to return the astronauts safely, but NASA judged the risk to be too great.
Wilmore and Williams, meanwhile, are doing fine on their extended mission. They are completing all the appropriate exercise programs to maintain their health in the weightless conditions of space, and have been provided with extra clothes and other supplies to extend their stay.
Boeing’s Starliner is one of several spacecraft that NASA is promoting to provide commercial avenues for sending astronauts to space. The space agency has awarded contracts to both Boeing and SpaceX to serve as crew transport vehicles to and from the ISS – while SpaceX has successfully completed multiple crewed flights, this was Boeing’s first attempt with astronauts on board, after multiple delays and a series of technical problems.
Boeing considers the return of the capsule – likely to come in about six hours – a key, confidence-building milestone for the company. The spacecraft will land at White Sands, New Mexico, and engineers will comb through the vehicle to see what is needed to certify Starliner for the next mission.
Work Cited:
- Morelle, Rebecca, and Alison Francis. “Stranded Astronauts’ Capsule Heads Home without Them.” BBC News, 6 Sept. 2024, www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx29wzk4r19o. Accessed 6 Sept. 2024
