The last time we checked on the Starliner astronauts, they were sheltering with others in the International Space Station (ISS) after the facility was threatened by debris from a Russian satellite that was breaking apart.
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are test pilots for the Boeing Starliner. They were originally scheduled to return home in June, after completing a test flight spacecraft. However, their departure has been delayed while NASA and Boeing engineers continue to study the misbehaving thrusters on the vehicle and try to fix the issue.
The Starliner crew has now been aboard the ISS over 50 days, with no indication of a fix from Boeing. New reports indicate that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is considering both Boeing and SpaceX vehicle options for returning the Starliner crew back to Earth.
NASA management has been in deep discussion this week about whether to return the agency’s astronauts on board Boeing’s misfiring Starliner capsule or to go with 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 — comes from not having identified a root cause for why some of the spacecraft’s thrusters failed during docking, a person familiar with the situation told CNBC.NASA this week has been discussing the possibility of returning 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, that person said, calling the outcome of NASA’s ongoing discussions unpredictable given the variety of factors involved.
NASA officials are being very vague about how seriously they are considering the possible use of a SpaceX Dragon.
One informed source said it was greater than a 50-50 chance that the crew would come back on Dragon. Another source said it was significantly more likely than not they would. To be clear, NASA has not made a final decision. This probably will not happen until at least next week. It is likely that Jim Free, NASA’s associate administrator, will make the call.Asked if it was now more likely than not that Starliner’s crew would return on Dragon, NASA spokesperson Josh Finch told Ars on Thursday evening, ” NASA is evaluating all options for the return of agency astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams from the International Space Station as safely as possible. No decisions have been made and the agency will continue to provide updates on its planning.”
The chances of a SpaceX Dragon success in regards to returning the astronauts seems…high.
SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft is capable of carrying up to 6,000 kgs / 13,228 lbs of cargo to the Station and returning 3,000 kgs / 6,614 lbs of cargo back to Earth. To date, Dragon has made over 20 trips to the orbiting laboratory.The Dragon spacecraft is capable of carrying up to 7 passengers to and from Earth orbit and beyond. The pressurized section of the capsule is designed to carry both people and environmentally sensitive cargo. Toward the base of the capsule and contained within the nosecone are the Draco thrusters, which allow for orbital maneuvering.
But, perhaps with new leadership, Boeing’s space program as well as its other operations might have more of a success trajectory.
As for Boeing, it just named former Rockwell Collins CEO Kelly Ortberg to turn things around. He succeeds current CEO Dave Calhoun.Ortberg has to improve production quality, supply-chain performance, ramp up plane production, fix Boeing’s ailing balance sheet, negotiate a new labor contract with a key union, get new products certified, and improve profit margins in the company’s defense business.So, Starliner is a concern, but Ortberg has so much more on his plate.
Perhaps Boeing should consider less DEI and more MEI: Merit – Excellence – Intelligence.
One side note: I believe this underscores the importance of competition in the Space Race. This concept was explored in a wonderful AppleTV production, “For All Mankind”, which I enjoyed with my son this summer.
The Boeing-SpaceX news almost seems like it is from the script of this remarkable show.
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