Starliner astronauts will be stuck in space until next year

Astronauts who flew to the International Space Station on Boeing’s Starliner could be stuck there for another 8 months, until April next year, NASA announced at a press conference. The astronauts were actually supposed to be there for only a week, but the Starliner malfunction has yet to be resolved.

Boeing, whose aircraft have also been controversial, is incapable of solving the problems of the space shuttle. According to astronomer Lucas Ellerbrock, NASA is unlikely to end its cooperation with Boeing: “NASA doesn’t want Boeing to fail, because it doesn’t want to be dependent on a single supplier.” That’s why they will try to solve the technical problems until April, rather than take astronauts on a spacecraft from rival SpaceX.

Ellerbroek says the Starliner crew is very experienced, and they are certainly prepared for unexpected things like this. It’s possible that the astronauts will simply be operated by NASA on the International Space Station (ISS).

Ellerbrock is not optimistic about Boeing and NASA’s chances of successfully repairing the Starliner. “It would have to be in orbit around Earth on the International Space Station, and you can’t just call a technician.” The conditions also make it difficult to make the shuttle 100 percent safe, which is the goal. “It’s very likely that they will ultimately opt for SpaceX for the return flight.”

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