Summary NASA opts for SpaceX Crew Dragon to bring astronauts home due to safety concerns on Starliner. Starliner will return uncrewed next month, with astronauts stranded on ISS until February. Risk and safety are at the forefront as NASA continues to support Starliner for future crewed flights.
With the Boeing Starliner now set to make its return to Earth uncrewed, questions are being asked about the spacecraft's feasibility moving forward. NASA has stressed that its trust in Boeing remains, noting that its decision to opt for SpaceX's capsule was driven by "uncertainty and lack of expert concurrence" on Starliner's safety. Starliner will not attempt manned return Yesterday, NASA announced that Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams will come home in a Crew Dragon scheduled for February 2025, with Starliner due to return to Earth next month without a crew.
The two NASA astronauts stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) will be there for approximately another six months, while Starliner will attempt an uncrewed return to Earth some time in early September. Ken Bowersox, associate administrator for NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate, commented, "Decisions like this are never easy, but I want to commend our NASA and Boeing teams for their thorough analysis, transparent discussions, and focus on safety during the Crew Flight Test." It should be reminded that the current Starliner mission is a test flight, and when two lives are at stake, it seems NASA is erring on the side of caution, despite Boeing's confidence in the test data.
The agency will now conduct the next phase of its Flight Readiness Review to schedule a firm date for Starliner's uncrewed return. Early September return While Starliner has completed two uncrewed flights in the past, its capability to autonomously undock was not included for its current mission flight software - however, NASA and Boeing engineers have been working for weeks to restore this capability via a software update. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said, "Spaceflight is risky, even at its safest and most routine.
A test flight, by nature, is neither safe, nor routine. The decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and bring Boeing’s Starliner home uncrewed is the result of our commitment to safety: our core value and our North Star." Since Starliner's problems became apparent following the June 5th launch, NASA has generally backed it and initially downplayed the extent of the thrust and helium leaks.
However, as the days dragged on, NASA's rhetoric began to shift, and it soon became apparent the agency was seriously considering SpaceX's Crew Dragon as an alternative. Nonetheless, NASA continues to place faith in the Boeing spacecraft, with Nelson saying he was "100 per cent" certain that Starliner would fly again with a crew in the future. The Starliner program has so far cost Boeing over $1.
5 billion in losses, so there is also the question of whether the company continues to place its faith in it. As for the two astronauts, Wilmore and Williams, they will continue to perform duties on the ISS, including maintaining science projects and the possibility of a couple of space walks. In order to leave room for their return journey, the upcoming Crew-9 mission will depart with only two of its four astronauts.
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