Summary NASA is set to reveal decision on returning two astronauts aboard Starliner this Saturday. Crew Dragon considered as an alternative for the astronauts, potentially extending their time in space until 2025. NASA and Boeing at odds on Starliner after problems with thrusters and helium leaks.
A decision on whether to bring home two NASA astronauts on Starliner is expected to be revealed this Saturday. NASA and Boeing have spent several weeks studying Starliner's leak and thruster problems, and are considering SpaceX's Crew Dragon as an alternative vessel for the two stranded astronauts. Starliner decision expected on Saturday With astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams now in their third month aboard the International Space Station (ISS), a firm decision about how they will get home will finally be reached as early as this Saturday.
NASA has remained consistent in its efforts to prioritize a return on Starliner, but has kept a return on Crew Dragon as a feasible backup plan. According to a NASA statement, "NASA's decision on whether to return Starliner to Earth with astronauts aboard is expected no earlier than Saturday, Aug. 24, at the conclusion of an agency-level review.
" This review is being chaired by Ken Bowersox, associate administrator of NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate, and will be attended by NASA administrator Bill Nelson, among other leading mission figures. NASA and Boeing specialists continue to analyze data ahead of the review's conclusio.