NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) are facing an extended stay in orbit due to malfunctions in Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. The astronauts, originally scheduled to return to Earth on June 13, may now remain in space until February 2025, according to recent reports.
Crews on Earth are working diligently to address the issues, but the situation remains uncertain. NASA has proposed a contingency plan to launch a two-person crew on SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission in September. However, this plan would still delay the astronauts’ return by several months.
The Starliner spacecraft encountered numerous problems during its 25-hour flight, leading to a two-week extension of the astronauts’ stay. Thruster failures and helium leaks have prompted experts to keep the crew in orbit longer, citing safety concerns about a return trip on the malfunctioning spacecraft.
Boeing has expressed confidence in the Starliner’s ability to return safely with the crew. However, experts have suggested that NASA may need to launch a rescue mission, potentially involving Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Starliner departed from Florida’s Cape Canaveral on June 5 for its first crewed flight. Engineers quickly identified five separate helium leaks in the spacecraft’s thruster system, leading NASA to delay the return flight to diagnose the issues.
“We are taking our time and following our standard mission management team process,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. “We are letting the data drive our decision-making relative to managing the small helium system leaks and thruster performance we observed during rendezvous and docking.”
Boeing’s Starliner program manager Mark Nappi described the helium system as “manageable” despite not working as designed. “So we’ve got to go figure that out,” he said.
The NASA team is reviewing future return opportunities following the station’s two planned spacewalks on June 24 and July 2.
“We are strategically using the extra time to clear a path for some critical station activities while completing readiness for Butch and Suni’s return on Starliner and gaining valuable insight into the system upgrades we will want to make for post-certification missions,” Stich said.
Wilmore and Williams are assisting station operations while Starliner remains docked at the ISS. They join the seven-member Expedition 71 crew, who have been stationed at the ISS since April, conducting research on neuro-degenerative diseases, space botany, and more.
“The crew’s feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, and they know that every bit of learning we do on the Crew Flight Test will improve and sharpen our experience for future crews,” Nappi said.
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