NASA has chosen Elon Musk’s SpaceX program to rescue astronauts stranded in space.
The move is a humiliating blow to aerospace giant Boeing, whose Starliner spacecraft carried Commander Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore and pilot Sunita ‘Suni’ Williams to the International Space Station (ISS).
Both seasoned pilots have been stuck at the ISS since the end of June, when they arrived for what should have been an weeklong test flight.
The pair will now have to wait until next year for SpaceX to pick them up, by which time they will have spent eight months in space.
Their empty Starliner capsule is set to undock early next month and will attempt to return on autopilot and land in the New Mexico desert.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has been chosen by NASA to rescue two pilots stuck at the International Space Station next year
Commander Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore and pilot Sunita ‘Suni’ Williams have been stranded at the ISS since June due to technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner
The troubled Starliner (docked to the ISS’s Harmony module) will attempt to return on autopilot and land in the New Mexico desert next month
Its trip to the space station was marred by thruster failures and helium leaks, as the troubled capsule ended up leaving the pilots in a holding pattern, as engineers deliberated over how to manage their return.
Former military test pilots Mr Wilmore, 61, and Ms Williams, 58, were the first crew members to use the Starliner when they left for the ISS on June 5.
They will now have to wait for SpaceX’s routine taxi flight, which is due to launch in late September.
It will carry two astronauts instead of the usual two for a normal six-month stay at the ISS.
A SpaceX capsule is currently docked at the space station, but is reserved for four other residents who have been there since March, who are set to return in September, having had their stay extended by a month due to the Starliner issues.
Another capsule, the Russian Soyuz, has room for three astronauts – two of which are Russians finishing a year at the ISS.
The former military test pilots have said they ‘have no complaints’ and were enjoying helping with space station work
Mr Wilmore and Ms Williams boarding the ISS after docking in with the Boeing Starliner on June 6
The veteran pilots said they had confidence in the thruster testing being conducted.
During their only orbital news conference last month, the pair said they had no complaints and were enjoying helping with space station work.
The troubled capsule is yet another blow for Boeing which has also faced multiple technical issues on its aeronautical side.
Scrutiny over its manufacturing processes increased following the crash of two 737 MAX aircraft – Lion Air Flight 610 in 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in early 2019.
The company then experienced manufacturing delays after discovering improperly drilled holes in aft pressure bulkheads on certain aircraft last year.
Concerns mounted further after an emergency door blew out on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 in January. The door systems were initially made by Spirit AeroSystems.
Boeing also faced allegations in April from a whistleblower engineer that it was cutting corners in the manufacture of its 777 and 787 aircraft. The company denied the claims that it was not filling tiny gaps in the fuselage which could potentially cause a plane to break up in mid air.
NASA has stood by its decision to delay the pilots’ return until next year
Boeing has also faced issues on its aeronautical side – including delays to the manufacture of 737 MAX aircraft due to design defects
NASA bosses have stood by the decision to delay the astronauts’ return until next year.
A test flight by nature is neither safe nor routine,’ said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. ‘And so the decision … is a commitment to safety.’
‘This has not been an easy decision, but it is absolutely the right one,’ added Jim Free, NASA’s associate administrator.
Nelson insisted however that the NASA hadn’t deserted Boeing, saying he is ‘100%’ sure that the Starliner will fly again.
A spokesperson for Boeing said: ‘Boeing continues to focus, first and foremost, on the safety of the crew and spacecraft.
‘We are executing the mission as determined by NASA, and we are preparing the spacecraft for a safe and successful uncrewed return.’
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