Astronauts Could Be Stuck in Space Until Next Year as Boeing Starliner Puts Them in Horrifying Situation

Why did this ever sound like a good idea?

Boeing, the company responsible for making flyers around the world nervous again, was awarded a contract for a crew capsule to send astronauts to the International Space Station.

According to Ars Technica, Boeing’s Starliner ended up costing at least twice as much as its competitor, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon; NASA and Boeing have spent at least $6.7 billion on the project, whereas SpaceX’s contracts with NASA have totaled a little over $3.1 billion.

And, what do you know? Turns out Boeing has more problems. This time, the stranded folks are in space. Nice work, everyone.

As U.S. News and World Report noted in a Wednesday piece, while the Starliner launched in early June for a crewed test flight, its time in space was expected to be brief. Now, the crew is stuck on the ISS seven weeks past the time they were supposed to return to Earth — and it’s unclear when that will happen or whether it’ll even happen in the Starliner.

“We’re in a kind of a new situation here in that we’ve got multiple options,” NASA’s Ken Bowersox said at a Wednesday media briefing.

“We don’t just have to bring a crew back on Starliner, for example. We could bring them back on another vehicle.”

However, that option would involve a SpaceX capsule that doesn’t launch until February of next year. If that happens, then the Starliner would fly back to Earth without a crew.

Several problems have plagued the Starliner in space and delayed its launch on the ground. Several of the thrusters shut down during approach to the ISS; while they’ve returned to normal levels, according to tests, NASA and Boeing officials are still assessing the situation.

Perhaps more worrying are several leaks in the craft’s helium system, which are in the ship’s propulsion system.

According to The Wall Street Journal, NASA is looking to make a final call about whether to return the crew on the Starliner or send a SpaceX craft up to “rescue” them sometime in the middle of August.

“Tensions between Boeing and some NASA leaders surfaced last week when officials couldn’t agree on using Starliner, and a detailed review of Starliner’s readiness for the flight back was postponed, according to people familiar with the situation,” the paper reported Wednesday.

“The real disagreements are how much uncertainty they view in the data” and the risks associated with it, said Steve Stich, a NASA manager.

“Starliner’s inaugural flight has led to a summer of scrutiny on a craft that Boeing has been developing for years. NASA wants both Boeing and SpaceX vehicles available to ferry crew to the space station, which officials have said would help ensure continuous access,” the Journal noted.

However, now that an eight-day mission is over two months old, thanks to problems partially identified on the launchpad, this is looking grimmer for Boeing by the day.

If the crew returns in the Starliner and there’s any problem — even one that doesn’t cause a disaster — it looks like a problem of 737 Max proportions for the American aircraft manufacturer. It’s already another black eye on the company’s reputation, which has caused significant resentment between Boeing officials and NASA.

“We continue to support NASA’s requests for additional testing, data, analysis and reviews to affirm the spacecraft’s safe undocking and landing capabilities,” Boeing said, according to U.S. News and World Report.

“Our confidence is based on this abundance of valuable testing from Boeing and NASA. The testing has confirmed 27 of 28 RCS thrusters are healthy and back to full operational capability.

“Starlneir’s propulsion system also maintains redundancy, and the helium levels remain stable. The data also supports root cause assessments for the helium and thruster issues and flight rationale for Starliner and its crew’s return to Earth.”

Would you trust that “flight rationale”? Probably not, especially when you consider that outlets like Fast Company have released articles instructing travelers on how to avoid flying a 737 Max.

When people aren’t willing to take the company’s considerably less-complex jets, why would we expect them to get on the Starliner again? Astronauts may be the adventurous sort, but they’re not that adventurous.