Could 2 NASA astronauts be stuck at the space station until next year? Here’s what to know

Marcia Dunn, Associated Press

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (AP) — NASA is wrestling complete really and erstwhile to bring 2 astronauts backmost from nan International Space Station, aft many times delaying their return aboard Boeing’s troubled capsule.

Do they return a chance and nonstop them location soon successful Boeing’s Starliner? Or hold and bring them backmost adjacent twelvemonth pinch SpaceX?

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams person been up location since early June, their planned eight-day ngo astatine nan two-month people and perchance surpassing 8 months.

Testing continues, pinch Boeing expressing assurance successful its spacecraft but NASA divided. A determination is expected adjacent week.

WHAT’S WRONG WITH BOEING’S STARLINER?

This is Boeing’s first clip launching astronauts, aft flying a brace of quiet Starliners that suffered package and different issues. Even earlier Wilmore and Williams blasted disconnected June 5, their capsule sprang a leak successful propulsion-related plumbing. Boeing and NASA judged nan mini helium leak to beryllium unchangeable and isolated, and proceeded pinch nan trial flight. But arsenic Starliner approached nan abstraction position nan adjacent day, 4 much leaks erupted. Five thrusters besides failed.

The capsule managed to dock safely, and 4 of nan thrusters yet worked. But engineers scrambled, conducting thruster test-firings connected nan crushed and successful space. After 2 months, there’s still nary guidelines origin for nan thruster malfunctions. All but 1 of nan 28 thrusters look OK, but nan fearfulness is that if excessively galore conk retired again, nan crew’s information could beryllium jeopardized. The thrusters are needed astatine flight’s extremity to support nan capsule successful nan correct position for nan captious deorbit burn.

ARE THE TWO ASTRONAUTS STRANDED?

NASA bristles astatine suggestions that Wilmore and Williams are stranded aliases stuck. NASA has stressed from nan get-go that successful an emergency astatine nan abstraction position — for illustration a occurrence aliases decompression — Starliner could still beryllium utilized by nan brace arsenic a lifeboat to leave. A erstwhile NASA executive said Thursday nan astronauts are “kind of stuck,” though surely not stranded. They’re safe aboard nan abstraction position pinch plentifulness of supplies and activity to do, said Scott Hubbard.

If NASA decides to spell pinch a SpaceX return, Starliner would beryllium be trim loose first to unfastened up 1 of 2 parking spots for U.S. capsules. Before that happens Wilmore and Williams would manner seats for themselves successful nan SpaceX Dragon capsule presently docked astatine nan abstraction station. That’s because each position caretaker needs a lifeboat astatine each times. Once Starliner’s docking larboard is empty, past SpaceX could motorboat different Dragon to capable that slot — nan 1 that Wilmore and Williams would ride.

WHY MIGHT THEY HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL NEXT YEAR?

Like Boeing’s Starliner, SpaceX’s Dragon is meant to transportation 4 astronauts. To make room for Wilmore and Williams, NASA said Wednesday it could bump 2 of nan 4 astronauts owed to motorboat to nan abstraction position adjacent period pinch SpaceX. The quiet seats would beryllium reserved for Wilmore and Williams, but they would person to stay up location until February. That’s because position missions are expected to past astatine slightest six months. Some person lasted a year. Two Russians up location correct now will adjacent retired a yearlong stint erstwhile they return successful a three-seat Soyuz capsule successful September alongside a NASA crewmate. There’s nary thought fixed to ordering up a typical SpaceX express, and nan Dragon astatine nan position now is nan thrust location adjacent period for 4 residents.

This isn’t nan first clip a U.S. astronaut has had their enactment extended. NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and his 2 Russian crewmates ended up spending conscionable complete a twelvemonth successful abstraction aft their docked Soyuz capsule was deed by abstraction junk and leaked each its coolant. An quiet Russian capsule was sent up to bring them backmost past September.

This photograph provided by NASA shows Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft which launched astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to nan International Space Station docked to nan Harmony module’s guardant larboard connected July 3, 2024, seen from a model connected nan SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft docked to nan adjacent port. | NASA via Associated Press

WHAT DO THE ASTRONAUTS THINK ABOUT ALL THIS?

Wilmore and Williams are some retired Navy captains and longtime NASA astronauts who already person agelong abstraction position missions down them. Wilmore, 61, and Williams, 58, said going into this trial formation that they expected to study a batch astir Starliner and really it operates. At their only news convention from abstraction successful July, they assured reporters they were keeping busy, helping pinch repairs and research, and expressed assurance successful each nan Starliner testing going connected down nan scenes. There’s been nary nationalist connection from them yet connected nan prospects of an eight-month stay.

IS THERE ENOUGH FOOD, WATER AND AIR?

Wilmore and Williams’ suitcases were removed from Starliner earlier liftoff to make room for instrumentality urgently needed for nan abstraction station’s urine-into-drinking-water recycling system. So they made do pinch spare apparel already up there. A proviso vessel yet arrived this week pinch their clothes, on pinch other nutrient and subject experiments for nan full nine-person crew. More supplies are owed successful a fewer much months. As for air, nan abstraction position has its ain oxygen-generating systems. Despite nan fat reserves, NASA would for illustration to get backmost to normal arsenic soon arsenic possible. Besides Wilmore and Williams, location are 4 different Americans and 3 Russians connected board.

WHY IS NASA STICKING WITH STARLINER?

NASA deliberately hired 2 companies to get its crews to and from nan abstraction station, conscionable arsenic it did for delivering cargo. The abstraction agency considered it an security argumentation of sorts: If 1 unit aliases cargo supplier was grounded, nan different could transportation nan load. ‘You want to person different replacement some for costs reasons and for information reasons and options. So NASA needs Boeing to beryllium successful,” said Hubbard, who served connected nan Columbia Accident Investigation Board successful 2003.

Even pinch nan latest setbacks, NASA insists it wants to support utilizing Boeing Starliners for astronaut rides. The extremity is to nonstop up 1 Dragon and 1 Starliner each twelvemonth pinch crews, six months apart, until nan position is retired successful 2030. SpaceX has been astatine it since 2020.

WHAT DOES BOEING SAY?

Boeing insists its capsule could still safely bring nan astronauts home. But nan institution said Wednesday it would return nan steps basal to bring nan capsule backmost quiet if that’s NASA’s decision. Last week, nan institution posted a database of each nan tests that person been done connected nan thrusters since liftoff.

“We still judge successful Starliner’s capacity and its formation rationale.” nan institution said.

A longtime abstraction contractor, Boeing has had to flooded aggregate Starliner problems complete nan years. The institution had to motorboat an quiet Starliner doubly earlier committing to a crew, repeating nan first formation trial because of bad package and different issues. The delays person costs nan institution much than $1 billion.

Hubbard questions whether NASA and Boeing should person launched nan unit pinch nan original helium leak, which cascaded into more.

“Whatever happens pinch nan Starliner, they request to find retired what nan problem was and hole it,” he said, “And springiness everybody assurance they are still successful nan aerospace business successful a awesome way.”