Troubled Boeing Starliner will return to earth without stranded astronauts: NASA

NASA officials announced Saturday that the Boeing Starliner spacecraft that carried two astronauts into space in June will return to Earth without them. Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were stranded in space after engineers discovered helium leaks and problems with the thrusters shortly after the Boeing CST-100 Starliner docked with the International Space Station, which prompting NASA and Boeing to investigate.

The uncrewed return allows NASA and Boeing to continue collecting test data on the Starliner on its next flight to Earth without accepting too much risk to its crew, NASA officials said.”The decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and to return the Boeing Starliner without a crew is the result of our commitment to safety: our core value and our North Star,” said the NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, to reporters.

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“Thank you to the NASA and Boeing teams for all their incredible and detailed work. “The two took off from the Cape Canaveral space station in Florida on June 5 for a test flight mission that was originally scheduled to last a week. Now they’re returning for a SpaceX Crew-9 Dragon mission, which won’t launch until September 24 because that mission must reduce its crew from four to two to make room for the stranded astronauts, who are expected to return in February 2025.

Crew 9 will carry additional payloads, as well as Dragon-specific suits for Wilmore and Williams, as their Boeing suits are incompatible with the SpaceX spacecraft. As problems were identified, engineering teams studied the data, conducted flight and ground tests, and developed various contingency plans for the return.

Starliner is expected to leave the space station and land autonomously on Earth in early September, as it is designed to do. The spacecraft has already completed two unmanned flights. Steve Stich, the director of NASA’s commercial equipment program, said that the Starliner is a very capable spacecraft, and ultimately the decision was made because of the need for a higher level of safety to make a return of equipment.

“The NASA and Boeing teams have performed a significant amount of testing and analysis, and this flight test provides essential information about the Starliner’s performance in space,” Stich said.”Our efforts will help prepare for an unmanned return and greatly benefit future spacecraft remedial measures.

“The decision to transfer the crew of Boeing’s Starliner to a SpaceX mission after a malfunction of the spacecraft is just the latest twist in a long saga that has undermined the credibility of the US aerospace giant. Here’s a look at the hiccups and delays during the Starliner crew’s trip to the International Space Station — and how they didn’t make it back.- 2014: NASA awards a contract -Ten years ago, NASA selected two companies, Boeing and SpaceX, to each develop a new spacecraft capable of transporting its astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).

The US space agency has asked the two companies to be ready by 2017, with the goal of ending its dependence on the Russian spacecraft it has used to transport astronauts to the ISS since the end of the space shuttle program in 2011.Boeing received a $4 contract. $2 billion, compared to $2.6 billion for SpaceX. At the time, billionaire Elon Musk’s company was widely seen as the underdog to Boeing’s air power.- 2019: failure of a drone flight -During a first unmanned flight in December 2019, the capsule failed to achieve the correct trajectory and returned to Earth prematurely after two days, without reaching the ISS.

The problem was caused by a clock that was eleven hours late, preventing the capsule from firing its thrusters at the scheduled time. NASA realized that another software problem could have led to a catastrophic crash. A long list of recommendations and modifications to be made was given to the manufacturer.- 2021: false hope -In August 2021, when the rocket was already on the launch pad for another flight attempt, sudden humidity caused a chemical reaction that blocked the opening of some of the capsule’s valves.

The capsule returned to the factory for inspection over a period of several months. This delay is in stark contrast to the progress made by SpaceX, which has successfully transported astronauts to the ISS since 2020. – 2022: First Success (unemployed) -In May 2022, the Starliner made its first unmanned test flight. Despite several problems – including a propulsion system problem detected during the flight, but with no ill effects – the capsule took off, docked with the ISS where it remained for several days, and returned to Earth without incident.- 2023: New worries, new delays -Starliner’s growing momentum stalled in 2023 when new problems arose, delaying preparations for its first manned flight.

One was to design the parachute that would slow the capsule down as it re-entered the atmosphere. It was modified and new tests were carried out. The other was even more surprising: the adhesive tape, used for several meters to wrap the electrical cables in the capsule, turned out to be flammable and had to be removed.- 2024: first manned flight goes wrong -The big day finally arrived on June 5, 2024: the capsule landed for the first time with two astronauts, a final test mission to prove it was safe before regular operation on the ISS.

But leaks of helium, the gas used to create pressure in the propulsion system, were discovered during the flight. Several thrusters then fail before the capsule docks with the ISS, though all but one eventually restart. NASA fears that the capsule will not be able to achieve the necessary thrust to return to Earth. The space agency made a radical decision: transfer two astronauts to a SpaceX mission and return the empty Starliner. The flight analysis will determine the route and duration of any further delay.