NASA may return Starliner astronauts to Boeing or SpaceX

NASA management is in deep debate this week about whether to return the agency’s astronauts aboard BoeingThe stranded Starliner capsule or use the alternative of using a SpaceX craft to rescue the crew.

The agency’s concern with Starliner — which flew NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station in early June — stems from its failure to identify the root cause of why many of the spacecraft’s thrusters failed during launch. during the docking, said a person familiar with the situation. CNBC.

NASA this week discussed returning the Starliner empty and instead using SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft to return its astronauts. There is no consensus among those responsible for making the decision, this person said, calling the outcome of NASA’s ongoing discussions unpredictable given the variety of factors involved.

The Starliner “Calypso” capsule is now at 59 days and counting. The mission is intended to serve as the final step toward proving that Boeing’s long-delayed spacecraft is safe to fly large crewed missions to and from the ISS.

The Boeing crew’s flight was originally planned to last at least nine days. However, it has been extended several times while the company and NASA conduct tests both on the ground and in space in an attempt to understand the thruster problem.

While NASA and Boeing leadership have publicly characterized the extensions as a data-gathering exercise, concerns raised in recent days reveal that there is less confidence internally about whether the Starliner is safe to return astronauts than the agency has revealed .

Ars Technica first reported NASA’s mixed opinion on the Starliner’s status. NASA has previously noted that SpaceX is serving as a backup, but has sought to downplay that possibility, calling Boeing’s spacecraft the “prime choice” for the return.

For its part, Boeing says it has the “flight logic” to return the Starliner with astronauts on board, meaning the company believes the spacecraft can return without much risk.

“We remain confident in the Starliner spacecraft and its ability to return safely with a crew. We support NASA’s requests for additional data, analysis and data reviews to confirm the spacecraft’s safe release and landing capabilities,” a Boeing spokesperson said in a statement. statement to CNBC. the manufacture.

If the Starliner returns empty, the most likely alternative would be to bring the astronauts back using SpaceX’s Crew Dragon by removing two astronauts from the Crew-9 mission – currently scheduled to launch four people in the coming weeks. That would open up two spots for Wilmore and Williams.

NASA did not respond to CNBC’s request for comment on the ongoing Starliner discussions, but told Ars Technica in a statement that the agency is “evaluating all options for return.”

“No decisions have been made and the agency will continue to provide updates on its planning,” NASA said.

After tests last weekend, NASA noted that 27 of the Starliner’s 28 boosters appear to be healthy. Thrusters, also known as reaction control system, or RCS, engines help propel the spacecraft into orbit.

But from an engineering perspective, the lack of a root cause for why five of the thrusters failed on the flight to the ISS means there remains the risk of more thrusters malfunctioning on the return flight.

Boeing’s Mark Nappi, vice president of the Starliner program, said during a July 25 press conference that testing of the propellants led to “very important” findings that “probably are the root cause.” However, despite this, the company has yet to identify the root cause.

“We’re going to continue to take this stuff apart so we can finally prove this,” Nappi said at the time.

NASA must now decide whether it is willing to trust that the unknown issue with Starliner’s thrusters will not arise again, or even possibly collapse into other problems.

The PCB, chaired by Commercial Crew program manager Steve Stich, did not reach a decision on whether to proceed with a flight readiness review, the company’s next major step toward setting a date for the Starliner’s return. The next PCB meeting is expected in the coming days, with NASA taking note a blog post on Thursday, return scheduling will continue into next week.

If any PCB member disagreed with the decision to return the Starliner with a crew, the decision would go up the chain of command until the disagreement was resolved. As it stands, the discussions within the PCB have no predictable outcome as NASA staff discuss the level of risk involved in the crew returning to the Starliner.

NASA often emphasizes that “astronaut safety remains the top priority” for the agency in making decisions about human spaceflight, an inherently dangerous endeavor.

But the choice facing NASA has further ramifications, which threaten Boeing’s participation in the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Already, Boeing’s Starliner losses total more than $1.5 billion due to repeated failures and years of delays in the spacecraft’s development.