Two NASA astronauts who flew the new spaceship Starliner in June have had an unexpected extended stay in space.
While sensational headlines have referred to the test pilots as “stuck” or “stranded,” Boeing — the company that built the capsule — has assured the public that the crew are not in any danger and don’t need rescuing.
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The astronauts don’t seem too fazed, either.
“We are having a great time here on ISS,” one said during the duo’s first teleconference from the International Space Station on Wednesday. “It feels good to float around.”
Boeing has had a long slog developing the ship, but here’s the current situation in a nutshell.
Boeing’s Starliner spaceship docked at the International Space Station on June 6, 2024.
Credit: NASA
What is Starliner?
Starliner is a spacecraft Boeing built under a $4.2 billion NASA contract to ferry astronauts back and forth to the International Space Station, which orbits 250 miles above Earth. Starliner launched on its first test flight carrying humans on June 5. Clinching this flight is important for the ship to earn certification for regular operations.
After NASA retired the Space Shuttle in 2011, the agency had to tag along with the Russians to get its crew to space. Hitching those rides from Kazakhstan cost the United States upward of $86 million per ride, so the U.S. space agency hired both SpaceX and Boeing to build spaceships, with the goal of establishing a commercial space taxi industry.
That was a decade ago. Though SpaceX has run its Crew Dragon as a taxi for NASA since 2020, the agency never intended to have all its eggs in Elon Musk‘s basket. However, Boeing’s Starliner remains in the testing phase. Regardless, NASA says it still wants a second viable transportation option.
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Sunita “Suni” Williams, left, and Barry “Butch” Wilmore practice in a simulator at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Credit: NASA / Robert Markowitz
Who are the astronauts piloting the spacecraft?
Commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore, 61, and Sunita “Suni” Williams, 58, are Starliner’s first crew, though the spacecraft may eventually carry four astronauts to the space station at a time.
They are both veteran astronauts. Wilmore, previously a Navy fighter pilot and captain, spent six months in space for Expedition 41 in 2014 and STS-129 for space shuttle Atlantis in 2009 before NASA tapped him to command Starliner. He has a wife and two daughters.
Williams is the first woman to pilot a new orbital spacecraft. She is also a retired Navy captain with two spaceflights under her belt — Expeditions 14/15 in 2006 and 32/33 in 2012 — totaling close to a year in space. She has a husband, along with an elementary school named after her in Massachusetts.
Boeing Starliner pilot Suni Williams does a flip after a televised news conference from the International Space Station with Boeing Starliner Commander Butch Wilmore on July 10, 2024.
Credit: NASA / YouTube screenshot
Why haven’t the astronauts come home yet?
Though the crew reached the space station on June 6, they encountered problems with Starliner’s propulsion system right before the ship docked. The issues involved helium leaks and weak thrust, apparently the result of five of the 28 thrusters malfunctioning. The thrusters are necessary for controlling and handling the ship in space.
The team has since reactivated four of the five faulty thrusters. Boeing has continued to run tests to try to diagnose the problems and says Starliner has more than enough helium, which is used to pressurize the thrusters, to get back home.
Meanwhile, teams are running additional tests on an extra module on Earth to better understand the thruster issues. These ground tests will try to replicate the firings needed for the ride back home. Because Starliner will ditch the module, leaving it to burn up in the atmosphere, engineers won’t be able to check it out after the mission.
Boeing’s Starliner approaches the International Space Station for docking on June 6, 2024.
Credit: NASA
When are the crew returning to Earth?
Originally, Wilmore and Williams were expected to stay at the space station for just eight days. Because of the problems, they’ve remained in orbit for an extra month.
So far, mission managers have not announced a return date as they troubleshoot the service module issues. Boeing leaders told reporters on July 10 that the astronauts might return at the end of this month. Ideally, the team would like for the Starliner crew to leave before another batch of astronauts arrive in mid-August on a SpaceX flight.
Despite sensational headlines calling the crew “stuck” and “stranded,” Boeing has adamantly disputed those claims. They have insisted that the ship can fly the astronauts home safely at any time, such as for an emergency evacuation, but that getting as much data as possible now, before they depart and the service module is destroyed, is imperative.
An empty Boeing Starliner capsule landed in the New Mexico desert during a previous test.
Credit: NASA / Bill Ingalls
Where will Starliner land?
Don’t expect to see this spacecraft plop in the ocean as SpaceX does with its Crew Dragon. Boeing plans to bring Starliner home to the Army’s White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. A system of parachutes and air bags will cushion the capsule’s desert landing.
