Astronauts may not return to ISS until 2025 due to Starliner problems

The two American astronauts who docked with the International Space Station in early June aboard Boeing’s new Starliner spacecraft may have to stay aboard the space station for months longer. Because of technical problems with the Starliner, they may not be able to return until early next year in another capsule, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon.

A lot went wrong during the Starliner docking on June 6. Five of the 28 control rockets failed and helium leaked. Boeing has been working to fix the problems since then, but NASA is now looking for alternatives if Starliner is deemed too unsafe for the astronauts to return.

Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore were scheduled to stay aboard the ISS for just ten days. There are now more than sixty. NASA maintains that all astronauts can leave immediately in an emergency if it is truly necessary. But the space agency now seems less certain that Williams and Wilmore will do so with their Starliner.

“We’re in a new situation where we have multiple options,” NASA Administrator Ken Bowersox said at a news conference. “We don’t necessarily have to bring the crew back with Starliner, we can do it with another spacecraft.”

That spacecraft could be SpaceX’s Crew Dragon. The launch of that capsule has been pushed back from this month to next month, specifically because of all the problems that have been happening with the Starliner.

The SpaceX capsule could fly with two astronauts instead of four. In that case, Williams and Wilmore would be able to return to Earth with their Dragon crewmates in February 2025. It’s not yet clear which crew members will have to give up their seats. “Crew 9” currently consists of three Americans and a Russian.

If Williams and Wilmore switch to Dragon, their Starliner could return unmanned. The software would have to be modified for that. NASA experts are expected to make a decision on the fate of the troubled Starliner in the coming weeks, according to sources at the US space agency.