Boeing Starliner returns empty, NASA to use SpaceX to transport astronauts

Boeing NASA announced Saturday that the Starliner capsule will return from the International Space Station without the NASA astronauts that delivered it to orbit in early June.

Following Starliner’s airborne return to Earth, NASA plans to return astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, scheduled to launch on September 24 as NASA’s ninth scheduled mission to the ISS.

Ultimately, Wilmore and Williams will remain aboard the ISS for about six more months before returning in February aboard SpaceX’s Crew 9 test flight, which was originally scheduled to last about nine days.

The decision to return Starliner empty from the ISS marks a dramatic about-face for NASA and Boeing, as both organizations had previously adamantly maintained the capsule was their first choice for returning crew members.

But Starliner’s crewed flight test, seen as the final major milestone in the spacecraft’s development, faced problems, particularly with its propulsion system.

“Boeing has worked hard with NASA to obtain the data necessary to make this decision,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said at a press conference Saturday with NASA leaders at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. “We want to further understand the root causes and understand where we can improve the design so that Boeing Starliner can be a key part of ensuring crew access to the ISS.”

He repeated Test Flight He said the decision was “a result of our safety commitment” as it was “neither safe nor routine.”

NASA will now conduct the next phase of its Flight Readiness Review to determine when to return the Starliner to the skies.

Boeing officials maintained at a press conference that Starliner would be able to return astronauts safely if an emergency occurred, despite multiple delays. NASA said it had “technical disagreements” with Boeing and had a different risk assessment for returning the crew than Boeing.

Still, NASA officials have repeatedly voiced their support for Boeing, and Nelson said he is “100 percent confident” that Starliner will one day carry crew members again.

“Our first and foremost focus remains the safety of our crew and spacecraft,” Boeing said in a statement. statement “We are proceeding with the mission in accordance with NASA’s decisions and are preparing the spacecraft for a safe and successful unmanned return,” the statement read in a post on X on Saturday.

NASA Deputy Administrator Ken Bowersox said NASA officials had made a unanimous decision to select SpaceX to bring the astronauts home.

Meanwhile, SpaceX will have two astronauts aboard Crew 9, to accommodate Wilmore and Williams, instead of the four originally planned.

“SpaceX stands ready to assist @NASA in any way we can.” President and COO Gwynne Shotwell responded: In X’s social media posts.

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft Calypso has been at the International Space Station since early June, and its mission has been extended indefinitely as NASA and the company try to determine what caused multiple thrusters on the spacecraft to fail while docked.

These thrusters, part of the spacecraft’s propulsion system, are key to Starliner’s safe return from the ISS. NASA said Saturday that the thrusters are an ongoing issue.

The crewed test flight of Starliner was meant to be a final validation test for Boeing and a key asset for NASA, which hopes to realise its dream of having two rival companies, Boeing and Elon Musk’s SpaceX, take turns flying missions to the ISS.

Instead, the flight test has further slowed Boeing’s progress in NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and jeopardized the company’s future participation in the program, after it has already absorbed more than $1.5 billion in losses.