NASA contemplates sending SpaceX to rescue Starliner astronauts after Boeing failures
By
Ross O'Keefe
August 7, 2024 12:46 pm
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Astronauts brought to the International Space Station by Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft are still stranded there.
NASA is considering partnering with SpaceX to rescue the astronauts as concerns about Boeing continue, despite its insistence that the spacecraft can do the job.
Astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who flew to the ISS on June 6 in Boeing’s Starliner, have been stuck there since due to malfunctions in several thrusters and helium leaks in the ship’s propulsion system.
NASA officials have had doubts about using Starliner to bring them back since, and the agency has been reportedly stalling to deal with internal dissent over the situation. The agency on Tuesday pushed back a planned SpaceX launch of a new ISS astronaut crew, delaying it from mid-August to Sept. 24.
NASA officials are scheduled to discuss Starliner during a briefing Wednesday.
Boeing thinks Starliner is ready to fly after its in-orbit and on-the-ground testing revealed data that supported “flight rationale,” a NASA term for a space operation that is safe enough to pursue, for using the vehicle to bring back Wilmore and Williams.
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/space/3113573/nasa-contemplates-sending-spacex-rescue-starliner-astronauts-boeing-failures/