Astronauts may not be able to return from the International Space Station during what was originally an eight-day mission, with their stay potentially extended until up to 2025
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On June 5, 2024 local time, the manned test flight of Boeing's manned spacecraft CST-100 (Starliner) was launched, and two astronauts arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) . However, despite originally being scheduled to stay for eight days, the astronauts' return was postponed due to problems with the Starliner, and the two astronauts are still staying on the ISS as of the time of writing, two months later.
ISS astronauts on eight-day mission may be stuck until 2025, Nasa says | SpaceX | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/science/article/2024/aug/07/spacex-delay-international-space-station-boeing-nasa
NASA Says Boeing Starliner Astronauts May Fly Home on SpaceX in 2025 - The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/07/science/boeing-starliner-nasa-spacex.html
Starliner, developed by Boeing, is a manned spacecraft that will be used for missions to transport personnel to the ISS and private space stations. A manned test flight was originally scheduled for May 2024, but was postponed due to an abnormality in the valve of the upper stage of the rocket, and the manned test flight was finally successful on June 5th.
After launch, Starliner experienced problems such as helium leaks and thruster failures, but it successfully docked with the ISS on June 6, and its crew members Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams stayed on board.
Initially, the two astronauts were scheduled to stay on the ISS for eight days before boarding the Starliner again and returning to Earth. However, the return has been postponed because it took time to verify problems with the propulsion system and other issues discovered during the test flight on the ground and check the safety of the return. At the time of writing, two months after docking, the two astronauts are still staying on the ISS.
The Starliner has been docked to the ISS for over 60 days, and the docking port for the next crew is blocked, meaning the planned transport of astronauts aboard SpaceX's Dragon 2 (Crew Dragon) in mid-August has been postponed until after September 24 .
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NASA and Boeing have been continuing their investigation to identify the problem with the Starliner and work toward a return mission, but on August 7, NASA officials acknowledged that the problem was more serious than initially thought and that astronauts may not return aboard the Starliner.
According to the New York Times, ground tests found problems with Starliner's thrusters, including significant degradation after testing. 'This was a bit of a surprise to us, and it added to our concerns,' said Steve Stich, NASA's commercial crew program chief. 'We're all really keen to understand what's going on physically.'
At a meeting of NASA's Commercial Crew Transportation Program held in the second week of August, Boeing's Starliner verification data was brought in, and some stakeholders opposed the return using Starliner. However, Stich said, 'We have not voted to make a decision,' implying that the return using Starliner is also possible. NASA Associate Administrator Kenneth Bowersox also commented, 'We can choose either path.'
'We remain confident in Starliner's capabilities and the rationale for the flight. If NASA decides to modify the mission, we will take the actions necessary to return Starliner empty-handed,' a Boeing spokesman said in a statement.
If they give up on the Starliner, the two astronauts are expected to return on SpaceX's Crew Dragon, which is scheduled to be launched in the future. In this case, the Crew Dragon, which is originally designed to carry four people, will be launched with two empty seats, and when it returns, it will carry a total of four people, including the two who were on board at the time of boarding and the two who were left behind on the ISS.
Jerry Stone, a senior associate at the Space Studies Institute, told The Guardian that it's not uncommon for experimental space flights to have problems. 'This is a test mission, called a crewed test flight, and one of its purposes is to address any unforeseen issues,' Stone said.
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