NASA has asked Elon Musk’s SpaceX to help get two astronauts off the International Space Station (ISS) where they are stuck because Boeing’s Starliner ship is having technical problems. Barry “Butch” Wilmore, 61, and Sunita “Suni” Williams, 58, were only supposed to be in space for eight days, but they’ve been there for more than two months.
The astronauts launched aboard the Boeing Starliner on June 5, 2024, for what was supposed to be a brief test flight. However, problems with the spacecraft’s thrusters and a helium leak have extended their stay, turning the mission into an unexpected eight-month ordeal.
The Starliner spacecraft had a lot of technical problems that NASA and Boeing experts have been working nonstop to fix them. Even though there were a lot of tests in space and on Earth, the problems kept happening, so NASA had to change its plans for the astronauts’ safe return.
Boeing’s problems with the Starliner are part of a bigger pattern of delays and technical problems that have made it harder for the company to make the spacecraft a reliable choice for missions with people on board. Boeing hoped this journey would show off the Starliner’s skills, but the ongoing problems have made people question the spacecraft’s future.
NASA chose to hire SpaceX, a company with a history of successful missions, to bring Wilmore and Williams back to Earth because of what was going on. The astronauts will now go back to space on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon ship for the Crew-9 mission, which is set to begin in late September 2024.
This choice changes the goal in a big way and is a big setback for Boeing’s Starliner program, which has been in the works for years. Because of the risks that come with space travel, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson stressed that the choice to use SpaceX was based on a commitment to safety.
Boeing admitted the loss but reaffirmed its dedication to the Starliner program, promising to back NASA’s choice and keep the crew’s safety in mind. Even so, the situation has made people worry about Boeing’s ability to keep its promise to NASA and the Starliner’s ability to work in the long run.
NASA’s decision to work with SpaceX shows how important it is to have more than one provider for crewed space flights, so that there are backup plans in case something goes wrong. The current situation, on the other hand, shows how hard it is to keep that backup when one service is having a lot of problems.
While Wilmore and Williams are still working on the ISS, NASA has announced that they will stay in space until February 2025, which is a lot longer than the original plan. They will still be working on scientific research and maintenance jobs on the station during this time.
The last twist came when NASA announced that SpaceX would, in fact, be the ones to save the astronauts. In February 2025, the Crew Dragon capsule will bring the astronauts back to Earth. This will mark the successful end of an unexpectedly long journey and show once again how important SpaceX is becoming in space exploration.
