NASA recently confirmed that they have a contingency plan in place to bring astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams home from the International Space Station (ISS) early next year if they are unable to leave sooner aboard the Boeing Starliner spacecraft. The backup plan would rely on SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission, which has faced delays as officials navigate the current situation.
The Boeing Starliner experienced thruster failures and helium leaks while docking with the ISS, leading to additional delays that have kept the astronauts in orbit for over two months. This comes after the Starliner program has faced significant delays and cost overruns, with the June crewed test flight originally scheduled to take place seven years ago.
If SpaceX ends up being the solution to bring the astronauts back to Earth, it would mark another misstep for Boeing in a series of challenges the company has faced. NASA’s preferred solution is still to use the Starliner, but the backup plan involves SpaceX sending two astronauts to the ISS aboard a late September Crew-9 launch, with two spots available for Williams and Wilmore to return in February of next year.
Tests conducted at NASA’s White Sands Test Facility indicated that deformed Teflon seals could be a potential cause of the Starliner’s thruster failures, but a final decision on whether the astronauts will return using Boeing’s spacecraft is not expected until mid-August. The situation has highlighted the complexities and challenges involved in bringing astronauts safely back to Earth from the ISS.
Should the backup plan with SpaceX be enacted, Boeing will need to reconfigure the Starliner craft so that it can return to Earth uncrewed ahead of the SpaceX Crew-9 launch. This ongoing saga underscores the importance of robust contingency plans and the need for reliable and safe transportation options for astronauts traveling to and from the ISS.
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