Washington: NASA announced that Boeing’s Starliner capsule will return empty from the International Space Station (ISS) due to ongoing issues with its propulsion system.
This latest setback adds to Boeing’s challenges, with CNBC reporting that the company’s losses in the Starliner programme have now exceeded $1 billion.
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who were originally supposed to return on the Starliner, will now come back to Earth aboard SpaceX’s Crew-9 vehicle in February 2025, after extending their stay on the ISS by six months.
A “technical disagreement” between NASA and Boeing led to this decision, with NASA choosing to prioritise safety and opting for SpaceX to handle the crew’s return.
Ken Bowersox, NASA associate administrator, mentioned that NASA officials unanimously agreed to select SpaceX for bringing the crew back home. SpaceX will now carry two astronauts on its Crew-9 vehicle instead of the originally planned four, to accommodate Wilmore and Williams.
“Boeing has worked very hard with NASA to get the necessary data to make this decision,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said on Saturday. “We want to further understand the root causes and understand the design improvements so that the Boeing Starliner will serve as an important part of our assured crew access to the ISS.”
Following the decision, NASA will carry out an additional phase of its Flight Readiness Review to determine the best time to bring the empty Starliner capsule back to Earth.
Despite Boeing’s assurances that the Starliner was safe for emergency crew return, NASA disagreed. Nelson expressed his support for Boeing, saying he was “100% certain” that Starliner would eventually launch with a crew again.
In a statement on X, Boeing said, “We continue 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.
