Boeing Starliner: NASA to Deal with Delayed Astronaut Returns

Subscribe to CNN’s Wonder Theory newsletter. Explore the universe with news about amazing discoveries, scientific advances, and more..

CNN
—

Now, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams — two veteran NASA astronauts piloting the first crewed test flight of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft — have spent 63 days in space, nearly seven weeks longer than initially expected.

There is no clear return date in sight yet.

As tests continue to understand the root cause of the problems the Starliner encountered en route to the International Space Station, NASA confirmed during a press conference Wednesday that it is considering various contingency options. These include keeping Williams and Wilmore in the orbiting lab for another six months and returning them home aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft in 2025.

CNN confirmed Tuesday that NASA has not yet begun a “flight readiness review” of the Starliner crew returning from the space station. The agency said on July 26 that it would begin the process in the first two days of August.

But Boeing and NASA teams are still working to determine a possible return date as officials evaluate test data and conduct analysis on the propulsion problems and helium leaks that have hampered the Starliner capsule’s first stage flight.

NASA indicated Wednesday that Starliner’s return remains uncertain as officials work to reach an agreement on how to carry out the rest of the mission, which launched on June 5.

NASA has long considered returning Williams and Wilmore on SpaceX as an emergency option for the mission, but the primary goal is to bring the astronauts home on Starliner. Maintains That its spacecraft is safe for astronauts.

However, the space agency announced Tuesday that it had postponed the launch of SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission, a routine flight that was scheduled to fly four astronauts to replace the Crew-8 mission aboard the International Space Station.

The Crew 9 spacecraft was scheduled to launch on Aug. 18, with the Starliner capsule expected to return to Earth with the astronauts before that date. Now, the Crew 9 spacecraft won’t launch until Sept. 24, NASA said.

“This adjustment allows more time for mission managers to complete return planning for the agency’s Boeing crewed flight test,” NASA said in a statement Tuesday. New release.