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In June, two astronauts boarded the Boeing Starliner for an eight-day flight to the International Space Station, but suddenly experienced a minor nightmare that may make their return to Earth impossible until 2025.
If you’ve been following the news in 2024, you probably know that Boeing has had a very rough year since the door of a 737 Max 9 ripped off in mid-flight in January.
That incident sparked an investigation that led to loose parts being discovered on other planes. In May, the manufacturer came under even more scrutiny after one of its planes was filmed skidding down the runway due to a faulty landing gear, just before another caught fire while attempting to take off.
Boeing also faced numerous problems related to the Starliner project, which won the company a contract with NASA in 2014 after the agency launched a search for new partners that could design and build spacecraft to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station (SpaceX had also submitted a successful bid).
Development of the Starliner was hampered by production delays and setbacks that caused Boeing to exceed its budget by $1.5 billion. But in June, the company got a chance to put its work to the test when NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore boarded the Starliner for an eight-day flight to the ISS.
Unfortunately, the duo had been stuck in the orbital laboratory since their arrival due to problems with the engines and fuel leaks. The authorities then decided that it was not safe for them to return on the Starliner.
Williams and Wilmore seemed pretty upbeat when they assessed their situation in June, but it’s hard to believe they’re thrilled about the latest development.
According to the BBCNASA held a press conference on Wednesday where officials said it was possible the astronauts could be stuck in space until 2025. At the same time, a possible solution was being considered that would leave two seats empty on a SpaceX shuttle when it departs in September for a mission to the ISS that would require the astronauts to remain on the satellite until February (the unmanned Starliner would return to Earth under computer control in September to free up a docking slot if that route is used).
Boeing is still conducting tests on the Starliner to diagnose the problems that have hampered the mission, and NASA says there is still a chance Williams and Wilmore can return to Earth with the spacecraft before next year.
The astronauts are also well supplied, but one can imagine that they would prefer to avoid the ordeal that would turn an eight-day mission into an eight-month one.
