Starliner Won’t Take Astronauts Away from ISS: NASA’s Decision Stirs Emotions

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will have to stay on the ISS until February 2025. NASA has decided that the astronauts will not be taken back to Earth by the Starliner cargo ship, but this will be done by Dragon, a competing vehicle of Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

Meaning that the mission of American astronauts will be extended to eight months. Due to the fact that a longer stay in space can have negative effects on the body, NASA reassures. Although 8 months is longer than expected, However, in the past, some cosmonauts have been stationed on the ISS for up to 12 months.

Boeing’s ill-fated mission

Starliner Manned Test Mission started on June 5th and there were many serious problems during it. Five of the 28 engines failed, and in addition, there were several helium leaks in the propulsion system. Since then, Boeing and NASA have been investigating what could have been the source of the problem by testing on Earth a replica of the engine used in Starliner.

Boeing strongly believed in the project, for which it received $ 4.2 billion and worked on it from 2024, but due to unexpected delays it had to add as much as $ 1.6 billion from its own pocket. NASA ultimately wanted to have two suppliers of astronaut transportation services – Boeing and SpaceX, but despite the failures of the Starliner mission, the American organization maintains that it has not lost confidence in Boeing.

“Spaceflight is risky, (and) test flights by definition are neither safe nor routine.” – said Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator. Nelson added that The decision to leave two American astronauts behind is a result of NASA’s concern for safety, which the organization considers a fundamental value. NASA Administrator is 100% confident that Starliner will be able to successfully conduct a mission with a crew on board.

Starliner is scheduled to fly without a crew, while SpaceX Dragon will carry Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore in February 2025.