Houston has a problem, and Silicon Valley is going to solve it. NASA has just announced that the astronauts trapped on the International Space Station (ISS) since last June will return in one of the ships manufactured for them by SpaceX, owned by South African magnate Elon Musk, next February. This was confirmed by the administrator of the American space agency, Bill Nelson, in a press conference. “NASA has decided that Butch and Suni will return next February in Crew-9,” he announced in a sombre tone.
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams arrived at the orbiting laboratory on June 6 aboard the Boeing Starliner, but during that flight it was observed that some of the thrusters were not working as expected. Initially, the ship was considered for repairs to return home, but in the end it was decided to have them return in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. “It was not an easy decision, but it was the right decision,” added Jim Free, NASA Deputy Administrator, at the press conference.
The news has repercussions at a strategic, economic and business level. Because the space race, at least within the United States, is a race between private companies. Having abandoned the use of Russian Soyuz capsules, NASA has established contracts with Boeing (with the Starliner capsules) and Space X (with the Crew Dragon) to cover the “taxi” services to the Space Station. The American aircraft and airplane manufacturer took the biggest bite, $4.4 billion for six flights; Space X is much cheaper, thanks to the fact that its rockets are fully reusable: $3.5 billion for nine launches. The fact that this mission, initiated by Boeing, ends up being rescued by the rival company is a humiliation, added to which is the fact that Elon Musk’s company is much more advanced. The Crew Dragon has already flown regularly to the ISS since it was authorized in 2020, after the success of its first manned flight.
“Starliner will return uncrewed,” the NASA chief confirmed, adding that details of the schedule would be discussed later and praising the company’s collaboration. “I want you to know that Boeing has worked very hard with NASA to obtain the data necessary to make this decision. We want to better understand the causes and the improvements we can make so that Boeing Starliner serves as an important part of our assured crew access to the ISS.” It so happens that the failed thrusters and ducts can only be examined while the craft remains docked to the ISS, as its service module is disposable and would burn up on landing. Asked by the press how sure he is that Starliner will make more manned missions to the ISS, Nelson replied bluntly: “100%.”
Meanwhile, in space, Captain Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams have been integrated into the daily life and work of Expedition 71 from the Space Station. “We’re having a great time on the ISS. Butch and I have been here before and it feels like coming home to us,” Williams said a few days ago in a video provided by NASA.
Boeing’s manned test flight took off on June 5, after two cancellations and several postponements. It is the first flight with astronauts on the Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station. The test flight was intended to demonstrate that the system is ready for rotation missions to the space station, but now that seems less clear. The initial duration of the mission was planned to be around a week. The Starliner, unlike its direct competitor, is only licensed to remain docked to the ISS for 45 days. That limit was exceeded on the current mission, more out of necessity than virtue, 33 days ago.
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