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Engineers from NASA and Boeing spent weeks analyzing the problems using a test engine that was built for future Starliner flights Mission managers also conducted two “hot fire tests” in space, which involved firing the capsule’s thrusters in short bursts while it remained docked at the space stationWilmore and Williams launched to the International Space Station on June 5 on the first crewed flight of Boeing’s Starliner capsule The mission, which was meant to last just over a week, was a crucial test flight for Boeing, serving as the last major step before NASA could certify the Starliner spacecraft to ferry astronauts to and from the space station on a regular basis
It’s unclear how NASA will proceed with the certification process now, including how the space agency will evaluate Starliner’s performance on the crewed test flightSpaceX, meanwhile, has been ferrying NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station since 2020Both Boeing and SpaceX developed their space capsules as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, an initiative that started in 2011 to support private companies in building new space vehicles to take astronauts to low-Earth orbit following the retirement of the agency’s space shuttlesJim Free, NASA’s associate administrator, praised the teams at NASA and Boeing and said the work done over the past few months will inform future missions
“We are a learning organization,” he said “We’ll learn from this effort so that our crews, who are at the top of the pyramid on these missions, and their families can continue to know we’ve done that and we’ll always do our best”Denise ChowDenise Chow is a science and space reporter for NBC NewsJuliette Arcodia contributed
“Crew time is the most scarce and precious resource up there,” he said “So to have two extra sets of hands and two extra brains, I think that’s probably joyful in a certain way, and absolutely productive”“They’re not stuck in space,” agrees Laura Forczyk, executive director of Astralytical, a space consulting group The astronauts are comfortably housed at the International Space Station
“In space flight, we’re deeply committed to looking at the hardware, because that’s where you find the real evidence of what happened,” he said “When you can’t look at the hardware, you have to be careful about what you infer and how you test”Starliner has been plagued by issues even before launch The flight test was originallytentatively scheduled for May 6, but was scrubbed after a problem with an oxygen valve on a rocket from United Launch Alliance (ULA), which manufactures and operates the rockets that launch spacecraft into orbit
In this photo provided by NASA, Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore (left) and Suni Williams pose for a portrait inside the vestibule between the forward port on the International Space Station's Harmony module and Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on June 13 NASA/via AP hide caption toggle caption NASA/via AP Boeing’s Starliner will come back to Earth empty, and the two astronauts who took it up into orbit on a test flight will return in a capsule built by a competing company, SpaceX The long-awaited decision by NASA means the astronauts will have to cool their heels on the International Space Station until February And it’s a stunning blow to Boeing's beleaguered Starliner program, which has been beset by delays and technical troubles
“Space flight is risky, even at its safest and even at its most routine And a test flight, by nature, is neither safe nor routine,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said at a press briefing on Saturday Sponsor Message He noted that the decision was made in the context of NASA officials knowing that past mistakes had resulted in the loss of two space shuttles and their crews “Our core value is safety and it is our North Star,” said Nelson
This long-duration photo shows Boeing’s Starliner docked to the International Space Station at night, with the Earth whizzing by below NASA hide caption toggle caption NASA “This has not been an easy decision but it is absolutely the right one,” added NASA associate administrator Jim Free In early June, astronauts Barry Butch Wilmore and Sunita Suni Williams blasted off in Starliner on a trip to the station that was supposed to last about eight days--but now it will be eight months That’s because glitches cropped up during the test flight
NASA and Boeing spent weeks trying to understand the cause of helium leaks and flakey behavior by thrusters that inexplicably conked out as Starliner approached the station “It’s been a long summer for our team,” said Steve Stich, the manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, who said that the situation with the thrusters was too complicated to know whether or not they might fail at a critical time “There was just too much uncertainty in the prediction of the thrusters” So the agency has turned to their reliable partner SpaceX, which has successfully been providing taxi services to and from the station for several years
Sponsor Message A SpaceX capsule was already scheduled to go to the station next month, with its return trip planned to occur in February NASA has decided to reconfigure things so that this capsule has two seats free and available for Williams and Wilmore to catch a ride home “That just became the easiest and the best option, and the most efficient option,” says Stich And the two astronauts supported the agency’s decision, though it means more time away from their loved ones back on Earth, says Norm Knight, director of flight operations at NASA
Both Williams and Wilmore are experienced astronauts who have done months-long stints on the International Space Station in the past Having a rival firm step in to complete a high-profile, milestone mission is an embarrassing development for aerospace giant Boeing, which has long had difficulties with Starliner In 2019, Starliner's first uncrewed test flight didn't even make it to the station The second test flight, in 2022, was deemed a success, but engineers later found worrying problems such as the use of adhesive tape that was flammable
Fixing these issues delayed its first flight with astronauts For a decade, Boeing and SpaceX both have had contracts with NASA as part of the agency's Commercial Crew Program, which was established to have industry provide regular flights to the nearby space station so that NASA would be freed up to focus on going to the moon and beyond Boeing received significantly more money than SpaceX to develop a space taxi But while Starliner has yet to complete a crewed round-trip flight to the ISS, SpaceX has done a number of crewed missions for NASA
In a statement on X, formerly called Twitter, Boeing said the company was continuing “to focus, first and foremost, on the safety of the crew and spacecraft We are executing the mission as determined by NASA, and we are preparing the spacecraft for a safe and successful uncrewed return” Sponsor Message Administrator Nelson said he’d talked to the CEO of Boeing, Kelly Ortberg, and that Ortberg said the company would continue to work to understand the problems once Starliner is back safely NASA officials said they’d meet next week to discuss the return of Starliner, and that it may undock from the station and fly back to Earth early next month
Both Williams and Wilmore are experienced astronauts who have done months-long stints on the International Space Station in the past. Having a rival firm step in to complete a high-profile, milestone mission is an embarrassing development for aerospace giant Boeing, which has long had difficulties with Starliner. In 2019, Starliner's first uncrewed test flight didn't even make it to the station. The second test flight, in 2022, was deemed a success, but engineers later found worrying problems such as the use of adhesive tape that was flammable. Fixing these issues delayed its first flight with astronauts. For a decade, Boeing and SpaceX both have had contracts with NASA as part of the agency's Commercial Crew Program, which was established to have industry provide regular flights to the nearby space station so that NASA would be freed up to focus on going to the moon and beyond. Boeing received significantly more money than SpaceX to develop a space taxi. But while Starliner has yet to complete a crewed round-trip flight to the ISS, SpaceX has done a number of crewed missions for NASA. In a statement on X, formerly called Twitter, Boeing said the company was continuing “to focus, first and foremost, on the safety of the crew and spacecraft. We are executing the mission as determined by NASA, and we are preparing the spacecraft for a safe and successful uncrewed return.” Sponsor Message Administrator Nelson said he’d talked to the CEO of Boeing, Kelly Ortberg, and that Ortberg said the company would continue to work to understand the problems once Starliner is back safely. NASA officials said they’d meet next week to discuss the return of Starliner, and that it may undock from the station and fly back to Earth early next month.
