NASA says chances are growing that two test pilots who flew a new Boeing capsule to the International Space Station in June may have to switch to SpaceX for a ride home. Officials said Wednesday it's still possible astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams can return aboard Boeing's Starliner next month. That decision could also determine if there’s a future in manned spaceflight for the Alabama built Atlas-V rocket.
The booster, built at the United Launch Alliance’s factory in Decatur, carried the Starliner to orbit. It’s the first time an Atlas type rocket was used on a manned NASA spacecraft since astronaut Gordon Cooper took the last solo U.S. trip in orbit in 1963. If the leaks and thruster problems on Starliner are not better understood, the two test pilot astronauts could find themselves up there until February, returning on a SpaceX capsule. Inside NASA, there's dissent over which way to go. NASA is bringing in extra experts to figure out the best path forward.
If that happens, NASA would leave behind two of four astronauts from the next SpaceX taxi flight in late September, with the vacant seats set aside for Wilmore and Williams on the return trip next February. The pair was expected to be gone just a week or two when they launched June 5 as Starliner's first crew. NASA is bringing in additional experts to analyze the thruster failures experienced by Starliner before it docked. At the same time, NASA is looking more closely at SpaceX as a backup,
At this point, "we could take either path," said Ken Bowersox, NASA's space operations mission chief. During a recent meeting, "We heard from a lot of folks that had concern, and the decision was not clear," he said. A final decision is expected by mid-August. Boeing issued a brief statement following NASA's news update, repeating its position that the capsule could still safely bring the astronauts home.
"We still believe in Starliner's capability and its flight rationale." the company said.
Boeing will need to modify the capsule's software in case Starliner ends up returning without a crew. No serious consideration was given to launching a separate SpaceX flight just to retrieve Wilmore and Williams, according to commercial crew program manager Steve Stich.
Tests on the ground have replicated the thrust problems, pointing to seals as one culprit. But it's still not understood how or why those seals swell when overheated and then shrink back to the proper size, Stich noted. All but one of the Starliner's five failed thrusters have since been reactivated in orbit. These thrusters are essential for allowing Starliner to back away from the space station following undocking, and for keeping the capsule in the proper position for the deorbit.
At the same time, engineers are grappling over helium leaks in Starliner's propulsion system, crucial for maneuvering. The first leak occurred before liftoff, but was deemed isolated and stable. Then more cropped up in flight. NASA hired Boeing and SpaceX to ferry astronauts to and from the space station, after the shuttles retired in 2011. SpaceX flew its first crew in 2020. Boeing stumbled on its first test flight without a crew and then fell further behind after a repeat demo.
Officials repeated their desire for a backup taxi service on Wednesday, A situation like this one could happen again, and "that's why we want multiple vehicles," Bowersox said. The next crew flight will be SpaceX's 10th for NASA. On Tuesday, it was delayed for a month until late September to allow for extra time to figure out how best to handle Starliner's return. Three NASA astronauts and one Russian are assigned to the flight, and managers on Wednesday declined to say who might be bumped.
