Nasa weighs SpaceX rescue for stranded Boeing Starliner crew
- The astronauts may have to be brought home in a rival Crew Dragon capsule in February, in what would be a major embarrassment for Boeing
What was meant to be a week-long trip to the International Space Station (ISS) for the first Nasa astronauts to fly with Boeing could extend to eight months, with the agency considering bringing them home on a SpaceX spaceship.
A final decision on whether to persist with Boeing’s troubled Starliner – which experienced worrying propulsion issues as it flew up to the orbital platform in June – is expected later this month, officials said on Wednesday in a call with reporters.
Detailed planning is already under way with Boeing’s rival SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, to potentially launch their scheduled Crew-9 mission on September 24 with just two astronauts rather than the usual four.
The Crew Dragon capsule would then be able to return to Earth with Starliner’s crew of Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams in February 2025 – in what would amount to a major embarrassment for aerospace giant Boeing.
In this scenario, Starliner would fly back without crew before Crew-9 launches.
Steve Stich, programme manager for Nasa’s Commercial Crew Programme, revealed that there had been intense discussions on the best way forward, with Boeing expressing confidence in its spacecraft after carrying out ground testing to replicate the technical issues seen in space.
