Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams left Earth nine weeks ago for a mission to the International Space Station. As their three-hour tour, eight-day mission has stretched to sixty-three days, NASA still isn't sure when and how they will return home.
The initial Starliner launch was aborted due to an issue with a valve on the launch system. The valves were repaired, but during testing, Starliner was found to have helium leaks. Despite the leaks, Starliner was launched on June 5th. The beleaguered Boeing spacecraft docked with the ISS on June 6th, but the docking itself was delayed due to thruster issues. As the thruster and helium leak issues were studied and tested, Starliner's return date was delayed, delayed again, and finally delayed indefinitely.
On August 7th, NASA held a teleconference to discuss the options for getting the astronauts home. Discussions are still underway to decide if it is safe for Wilmore and Williams to return in Starliner despite the thruster failures and additional helium leaks. The alternative is for the upcoming SpaceX Crew 9 mission to be delayed and launch with two empty seats. This would allow them to take the Starliner crew home in February 2025. This option would also leave Crew 9 short two astronauts and have a domino effect on future SpaceX missions. If the crew returns with SpaceX, Starliner will return to Earth autonomously. The capsule could be allowed to burn up in the atmosphere upon reentry if it is not deemed safe to attempt to land it. Starliner's issues have compounded a pretty lousy year for Boeing.
Boeing, for its part, seems to be in complete denial. Their latest update was on July 31st:
Practiced, prepared, checked out, refilled, and inspected – the Starliner team is proceeding through checklists to be ready for return when a date is chosen. They spent Tuesday practicing for undocking during an integrated simulation with the International Space Station. Teams occupied their consoles in the Mission Control Center in Houston and in Boeing's Mission Control Center (BMCC) at Kennedy Space Center. Commander Butch Wilmore and Pilot Suni Williams monitored the "sim" from space. Starliner-1 crew members Commander Scott Tingle and Pilot Mike Fincke took part in the practice from the Boeing Mission Simulator, while Canadian Space Agency astronaut Josh Kutryk was on-console in Houston.
On Sunday, the Starliner and NASA teams worked together in Boeing's Avionics and Software Integration Lab (ASIL) to develop, test, and deliver updated data parameters for potential returns throughout August. That included a Propulsion Quantity Mission Data Load to update the fuel quantity on board Calypso. The crew also entered their spacecraft Monday to refill its water systems and to pressure check their spacesuits. A standard operation before crew departure includes an exterior inspection of Starliner, as well. The crew completed that task by using the Canadarm outside the space station.
There appears to be a lot of internal division within NASA/JPL about which route to take to return Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams home. A decision is expected later this month. I just hope they choose the right option for the safety of the astronauts.
Previously: Starliner launches two Americans into orbit
