NASA is set to reveal Saturday the anticipated path home for the two Boeing Starliner astronauts who will have already been stranded in space for 80 days — 10 times longer than their planned eight-day expedition.
The space agency plans to announce whether the capsule has been deemed safe enough to return the astronauts from the International Space Station — or if they’ll need to hitch a ride back on a SpaceX vehicle.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and other top officials are scheduled to attend an agency-level review in Houston to discuss the plans before the announcement is made, the agency announced.
“NASA’s decision on whether to return Starliner to Earth with astronauts aboard is expected no earlier than Saturday, Aug. 24 at the conclusion of an agency-level review,” NASA said in a statement.
Veteran astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner back on June 5 — the maiden crewed voyage for the spacecraft — for what was supposed to be an eight-day mission docked to the International Space Station. Saturday’s announcement will be their 80th day in space.
The test flight, however, quickly encountered thruster failures and helium leaks so serious that NASA kept the capsule parked at the station as engineers scrambled to find a solution.
Boeing for months has sought to quell NASA fears about the Starliner issues, pointing to extensive testing of thrusters in space and on the ground that demonstrates the spacecraft’s ability to safely return the astronauts.
NASA has been weighing the data against its low appetite for risk in the mission — one of four Starliner flights since 2019 to suffer mishaps.
As a backup plan, NASA has made two seats available on an upcoming SpaceX’s Crew Dragon mission that Wilmore and Williams could hitch a ride back on — if they can get compatible suits.
If the SpaceX contingency plan is used, Wilmore and Williams won’t be able to return home until that mission’s conclusion in February 2025.
The Starliner, meanwhile, would attempt to return to Earth empty next month.
But if NASA decides Starliner is safe for the astronauts, the capsule would fly them home much sooner — likely within the next month to free up the ISS docking port for the SpaceX mission.
With Post wires
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