On Friday, NASA engineers gathered to review tests conducted on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft and determine how best to bring back two astronauts. The decision depends on whether the Starliner craft, which suffered technical issues, can safely return its crew. NASA leaders, including Administrator Bill Nelson, will meet Saturday at Johnson Space Center in Houston to review data and decide whether to proceed with a crewed descent or choose a safer alternative. The question is whether Starliner commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore and pilot Sunita Williams should come home aboard the problem-plagued Starliner or stay in orbit another six months and return on a SpaceX Crew Dragon.
NASA: Starliner’s challenges
The spacecraft has had multiple helium leaks in its propulsion system and experienced degraded thrust in five maneuvering thrusters soon after launching on June 5. While Boeing says it has tested and analyzed the problems, assuring NASA the thrusters will work properly during critical parts of the trip back, some within the space agency remain unconvinced — reflecting what some officials describe as an overly risk-averse culture following the 2003 Columbia disaster.
Potential outcomes
One leading option would keep Wilmore and Williams aboard the International Space Station (ISS) while bringing down the Starliner unmanned. That approach would minimize risks and allow for a more controlled descent. If that path is chosen, they could stay aloft until February 2024 — stretching their mission duration out to nearly nine months — then ride home on a SpaceX Crew Dragon set for launch Sept. 24 with two empty seats available for them.
Next steps
Should NASA decide on an uncrewed Starliner descent, as early as Sept. 6, the craft could undock from the ISS, setting up an autonomous re-entry and landing at White Sands, New Mexico, according to sources familiar with planning discussions. Such a scenario would end a test flight that fell well short of expectations but ensure astronaut safety.
The decision reflects the difficulty that NASA has faced in reconciling technical confidence with crew safety. As the agency considers its options, the astronauts’ well-being and mission success remain paramount.
