The Boeing Starliner is probably the most flawed spacecraft NASA has ever flown with humans on board. It started badly, continued badly, and will likely give NASA people sleepless nights for many years to come.
The Boeing Starliner was supposed to be operational around the same time as the SpaceX Crew Dragon, but a series of problems prevented it from becoming America’s second operational, manned orbital transporter of the modern era.
The capsule completed its first unmanned test flight in 2019, when it failed to reach its destination, the International Space Station (ISS), due to a problem with the spacecraft’s mission clock. Boeing took quite a long time to fix the problem, so it did not make a second attempt to launch the craft until 2021.
And tried is the key word here, as the second unmanned test mission repeatedly failed to leave the launch pad due to a series of hardware and software problems, but also due to leaks. Boeing finally managed to get the Starliner off the ground unmanned and have it dock with the ISS in 2022.
The Starliner’s first manned mission launched from Earth on June 5, 2024. On board were NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who were only supposed to stay in orbit for a week. Almost three months later, they still have not returned.
You guessed it, there were problems with the Starliner. The problems with the spacecraft began even before it reached the ISS on June 6. NASA discovered that some of the engines were not working properly and that the craft was leaking helium.
Photo: Boeing
NASA and Boeing still don’t know what’s wrong with the thing. Since it docked with the ISS, several engine tests have been conducted and reams of data analyzed, but nothing has come out that could lead to a proper assessment of Starliner’s status.
Knowing that people here on Earth are getting impatient, the space agency decided this week to update us on its plans and the status of the crews – both the crew already on the station and the crew that flew there on the Starliner.
First, the ship. NASA is planning two major reviews in the coming weeks, a program review board and a review of the agency’s flight readiness. That will determine the best course of action for the Starliner’s return to Earth: either empty or with Wilmore and Williams on board. A decision on the matter is expected by the end of the month.
If it is decided that it is safe to return the two astronauts on the Starliner, the mission will likely be nerve-wracking and will keep everyone on their toes. There is no information yet on when the return might take place.
If the spacecraft returns empty, the Starliner would have to undock and leave orbit on its own, which NASA says is easily possible.
If the space agency decides on this option, the two Starliner astronauts would have to stay on the ISS until February 2025. That is when the SpaceX Crew-9 mission, which is scheduled to depart in September, will begin its journey home.
Photo: Boeing
Crew-9 was originally intended to carry four people into space, but if this mission also requires the return of the stranded Starliner crew, the number will be reduced to just two astronauts due to space constraints.
Wilmore and Williams are now integrated into the activities of the Expedition 71 crew of the space station, “Carrying out scientific research and maintenance activities.” They were also involved in the review of the Starliner spacecraft.
NASA says the two additional people on the station should not be a burden at this time because there are enough supplies to support them, including food, water, clothing and oxygen, and resupply missions are carried out regularly.
Independently of each other, both astronauts are used to longer stays in space, as they have already taken part in previous missions to the ISS. In an emergency, the two will evacuate the station with the Starliner and thus not get in the way of the evacuation equipment of the other people on the ISS.
The agency therefore sees no rush to bring the crew home and plans to “additional time to learn more about the spaceship,” That is a “Lesson learned from the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.”
NASA isn’t giving up on the Starliner because it’s determined to have two separate spacecraft in service. That would give it wiggle room if something goes wrong with either one – which the current problems with the Boeing design perfectly illustrate.
However, NASA says that the two Starliner astronauts are by no means stuck on the space station. They are simply unable to return home due to technical difficulties.
