NASA Administrator Bill Nelson makes decision on the fate of Boeing Starliner astronauts. Announced yesterday on August 24, 2024, Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft will return to Earth without its crew. This decision was made during a press briefing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, following weeks of investigation into a series of technical issues that surfaced during the spacecraft’s launch and docking with the International Space Station.
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been aboard the International Space Station (ISS) since June as part of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, were originally intended to return on the Starliner after an eight-day test flight of the spacecraft. However, due to ongoing concerns about the spacecraft’s reliability, NASA has opted to bring them back aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft with Crew 9 astronauts, currently scheduled for a February 2025 return.
The decision to proceed with an uncrewed Starliner return comes after NASA officials were unable to confidently model how the spacecraft would perform on its return to Earth. Issues with the Starliner’s propulsion system, including helium leaks and underperforming thrusters, raised serious concerns about the spacecraft’s ability to safely execute the critical deorbit burn necessary for a crewed landing. Despite Boeing’s extensive testing and reassurances that the spacecraft had the capacity to return the crew safely, NASA concluded that the risks were too significant to proceed with a crewed descent.
