Astronauts NASA Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams flew to the ISS aboard Starliner on June 5. The mission was supposed to last eight days. Their return was delayed by thruster failures that came to light during the first crewed mission of a Boeing spacecraft to the ISS.
NASA officials said at a press conference Wednesday that they were still analyzing data from the thrusters, but the decision on whether to use Starliner or SpaceX is fast approaching.
“We don't have a hard line, do we?” said Ken Bowersox, deputy administrator of NASA's Space Operations Mission Directorate, as quoted by AFP. “We can juggle options and make it work if we need to,” he said, admitting, however, that “it's getting harder and harder.”
“We are reaching a point where we really should decide in the last week of August, if not sooner,” he said.
NASA on astronauts' status: They can't wait for a decision
Bowersox said that the astronauts They are making the most of their extra time on board the ISS“but he's sure they're as eager to make a decision as the rest of them.”
NASA's chief astronaut Joe Acaba said that Wilmore and Williams prepared for the mission knowing it was a test flight and “may not be perfect.” – Manned spaceflight is inherently risky, and as astronauts we accept that as part of our job, he said.
NASA Tries to Bring Astronauts to Earth, Major Problem Identified
Bowersox said the main problem in the entire operation is the propulsion system. “Our main concern is a successful landing in orbit,” he said. A NASA official said there had been “very honest discussions” with Boeing and the company “stands behind our machine 100 percent” and has confidence in it.
If the decision is made not to use the Starliner Boeing rival SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, could potentially launch its planned Crew-9 mission to the ISS on September 24 with just two astronauts instead of four.
Crew Dragon Capsule could then return to Earth with Wilmore and Williams in February 2025 – which would be an image blow to aviation giant Boeing.
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