Stranded astronauts Butch Wilmore (L) and Suni Williams will remain on the International Space Station until February rather than attempt a return to Earth in their glitchy Boeing Starliner craft, NASA announced Saturday. File Photo by NASA/UPI | License Photo
Boeing Starliner crewmembers Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been stranded aboard the International Space Station since June, will remain there until February, NASA administrators announced Saturday.
In weighing whether to allow them to try to return to Earth aboard their malfunctioning Starliner craft or wait until the completion of the upcoming SpaceX Crew-9 Dragon mission in February, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said the agency opted for the latter due to safety reasons. Advertisement
“Butch and Suni will return with Crew-9 next February,” he announced during a televised press conference at Johnson Space Center in Houston, adding that the glitchy Starliner capsule, which currently remains docked to the the ISS, will be returned to Earth unmanned.
The Crew 9 mission, scheduled to launch in late September, will proceed with only two crew members rather than four, making room for Wilmore and Williams to return with it when its mission is finished in February.
Nelson said he discussed the situation with new Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg and praised the company for working closely with NASA in determining whether the Starliner capsule could be safely returned with the stranded astronauts aboard. But in the end, he said, concerns over the safety of the astronauts proved insurmountable. Advertisement
“This whole discussion, remember, is put in the context of we have had mistakes done in the past,” Nelson said. “We lost two space shuttles as a result of there not being a culture in which information could come forward.
“We have been very solicitous of all of our employees that if you have some objection, you come forward. Space flight is risky, even at its safest,” he added.
The Boeing Starliner spacecraft developed helium leaks and propulsion problems as Wilmore and Williams docked at the ISS on June 6. They had been scheduled to return to Earth a week later after testing Starliner for NASA certification.
Five of the capsule’s thrusters also malfunctioned as it was approaching the space station. The thruster malfunction, which is a separate issue from the helium leaks in Starliner’s propulsion system, delayed the capsule’s docking.
Wilmore and Williams are now slated to spend at least 262 days in orbit before returning to Earth around Feb. 22.
NASA said Starliner’s undocking from the ISS and unpiloted return to Earth will be carried out remotely as early as Sept. 6. The long-awaited and ultimately disappointing test flight is scheduled to conclude with touchdown at White Sands, New Mexico. Advertisement
