NASA will announce on Saturday the expected route home for the two Boeing Starliner astronauts who have already been stuck in space for 80 days – ten times longer than their planned eight-day expedition.
The space agency wants to announce whether the capsule is considered safe enough to return the astronauts from the International Space Station – or whether they will have to fly back in a SpaceX vehicle.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and other senior officials are expected to attend an agency-level review in Houston to discuss the plans before the announcement is made, the agency said.
“NASA’s decision on whether to return Starliner to Earth with astronauts on board is expected no earlier than Saturday, August 24, after completion of an agency-level review,” NASA said in a statement.
Veteran astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams launched June 5 aboard Boeing’s Starliner – the spacecraft’s maiden crewed voyage – for an eight-day mission that will include docking with the International Space Station. Saturday’s announcement will mark their 80th day in space.
However, the test flight soon experienced engine failures and helium leaks so severe that NASA had to park the capsule at the station while engineers desperately searched for a solution.
Boeing has been trying for months to allay NASA’s concerns about the Starliner’s problems, pointing to extensive engine tests in space and on the ground that demonstrate the spacecraft’s ability to return astronauts safely.
NASA is weighing the data given its low risk appetite for the mission – it is one of four Starliner flights since 2019 that have experienced mishaps.
As a backup plan, NASA has opened up two seats on an upcoming SpaceX Crew Dragon mission on which Wilmore and Williams could fly again – provided they get compatible suits.
If SpaceX’s contingency plan is applied, Wilmore and Williams will not be able to return home until the mission is completed in February 2025. The Starliner, on the other hand, would attempt to return to Earth empty next month.
However, if NASA decides that the Starliner is safe for astronauts, the capsule could allow the astronauts to fly home much sooner – probably within the next month to free up the ISS docking slot for the SpaceX mission.
With post wires
