The two NASA astronauts who flew Boeing’s Starliner to the International Space Station (ISS) on its first crewed test flight more than three weeks ago still don’t have a return-to-Earth date. However, NASA and Boeing officials have emphasized that the crew is neither stuck in space nor in any danger. The delay in the return of Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore provides NASA and Boeing teams an opportunity to better understand the issues that arose with Starliner, including a helium leak that initially delayed the launch and thruster problems on the service module.
A thruster test is planned at NASA’s White Sands Test Facility, which Ken Bowersox, associate administrator of NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate, said could take a couple of weeks. The analysis of that data will help officials decide what’s next. “Butch and Suni are not stranded in space,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. “Our plan is to continue to return them on Starliner and return them home at the right time. We have a little more work to do to get them there.”
Starliner launched from Cape Canaveral on an Atlas V rocket on June 6 and arrived at the space station for what was initially planned as an eight-day flight. Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager of Boeing’s Commercial Crew Program, expressed frustration over headlines suggesting the crew was stuck and criticism of Starliner’s safety. NASA officials noted that on Wednesday, the space station faced an unexpected orbital debris issue from the breakup of a decommissioned satellite. Wilmore and Williams were prepared to use the Starliner as a space “lifeboat” if needed, although it was ultimately not required. NASA was comfortable with that contingency plan.
“We understand these issues for a safe return,” Nappi said. “What we don’t understand enough yet is how to fix them permanently. It would be irresponsible for us if we have time and we want to do more, not to do it.” NASA’s Bowersox was more cautious, saying that while they’d feel confident returning a crew on Starliner in the case of a space station emergency, for a normal, non-emergency return, they’d like more data first.
The helium leak was discovered after the first launch scrub in May, and it expanded after launch. No helium is leaking now while the Starliner is docked to the station, and Stich said they continue to “verify helium margins and double-check those.” “Nothing has changed with the leak rates; we need about seven hours of helium to undock and get to deorbit burn,” he said. “We have 10 times that margin.”
The problematic thrusters were put through a test on the station and performed well, and now the White Sands test will help gather additional data. Nappi said teams lay out what they call a “fault tree,” which includes dozens of boxes of potential causes that they work to eliminate in the hunt for the root cause. When that’s found, they’ll attempt to solve it.
As the crew’s stay on the orbiting outpost lengthens, NASA teams said the astronauts’ families were being kept informed, and both astronauts were able to make daily phone calls home. NASA originally awarded Boeing the contract to fly astronauts in 2014, alongside SpaceX. Boeing received $4.8 billion for Starliner, while SpaceX received $3.1 billion for Dragon. Both companies were part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which replaced the space shuttle after its retirement in 2011.
Both were late to deliver, hoping to launch as soon as 2017 and restore NASA astronauts’ access to space from American soil (NASA astronauts were hitching rides aboard the Russian Soyuz). Following a successful crewed demo flight in 2020, SpaceX has since flown eight NASA crews and multiple private crews to the ISS. Boeing’s Starliner had faced repeated delays even getting to its first crewed flight this month.
Asked if there was any chance that Williams and Wilmore would not be able to return on the Starliner, NASA officials said the plan was to return on Starliner but noted that they have the luxury of other spacecraft on the station if needed. Right now, the station has a SpaceX Dragon and a Russian Soyuz docked to it. “Right now, we are focused on returning Butch and Suni on Starliner,” Stich said.
NASA and Boeing plan to spend the next few weeks conducting tests on the ground to better understand issues with the Starliner spacecraft’s thrusters before giving its crew the go-ahead to fly back to Earth. But, officials insisted in a press conference Friday afternoon, astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are not “stranded” on the International Space Station. “We’re not in a rush to come home,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
Starliner has been docked with the ISS since June 6 for what was meant to be a 10-day flight test. During its approach to the orbiting lab, however, the craft experienced problems with five of its thrusters, and a known helium leak appeared to worsen. NASA and Boeing have been working together to evaluate the issues ever since. On Friday, representatives for the two said they aren’t yet setting a date for the return flight and will instead wait until the ground tests have been completed and all analyses run. The first thruster tests, which will be conducted at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, are expected to begin as soon as Tuesday.
It was initially stated that Starliner could only stay docked at the ISS for a maximum of 45 days due to limitations with its batteries, but Stich said during the conference that these batteries are being recharged by the space station, so this can be extended. “I want to make it very clear that Butch and Suni are not stranded in space,” Stich said. “Our plan is to continue to return them on Starliner and return them home at the right time.”
Starliner is performing well while docked, and the craft could still be used as a lifeboat to bring the astronauts home if necessary in the case of an emergency, the officials said. Mark Nappi, VP and program manager of Boeing’s Commercial Crew Program, reiterated Stich’s comments, saying, “We’re not stuck on the ISS, the crew is not in any danger, and there’s no increased risk when we decide to bring Suni and Butch back to Earth.”
Source: NASA, Boeing
