The Boeing Starliner on which Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams flew to the International Space Station (ISS) on June 5 was touted as a space capsule made by astronauts for astronauts but, much to the embarrassment of Boeing, is now set to return without any human spacefarers. The return journey, in autonomous mode, is slated for September 6 and the Starliner is expected to land about six hours after it undocks.
The Starliner, whose development was plagued by delays, was on its first crewed test flight, carrying Sunita Williams and Barry "Butch" Wilmore for what was meant to be an eight-day mission. The two astronauts have been at the International Space Station since June 6 and their stay kept getting extended because of propulsion issues on the Starliner. NASA announced on August 24 that the astronauts would return to Earth in February 2025 and the Boeing spacecraft would come back without its crew.
The uncrewed return allows NASA and Boeing to continue gathering testing data on the Starliner during its flight home while also allowing it not to accept more risk than is necessary for its crew. NASA officials said the decision was "unanimous" on its part, while Boeing asserted it could return the Starliner both with or without crew.
The space agency has confirmed that the decision to get the spacecraft to return without crew was taken at a "tense" meeting between NASA and Boeing officials.
Explaining the decision, NASA chief Senator Bill Nelson, who is also a former astronaut, said, "Spaceflight is risky, even at its safest and most routine. A test flight, by nature, is neither safe nor routine.
The decision to keep Butch and Suni (Sunita Williams) aboard the International Space Station and bring Boeing's Starliner home without crew is the result of our commitment to safety - our core value and our North Star."
Boeing, on its part, said it remains confident in the Starliner spacecraft and its ability to return safely with crew. "We continue to support NASA's requests for additional testing, data, analysis and reviews to affirm the spacecraft's safe undocking and landing capabilities. Our confidence is based on this abundance of valuable testing from Boeing and NASA. The testing has confirmed that 27 of 28 RCS (reaction control system) thrusters are healthy and back to full operational capability," the company said in a statement.
"Starliner'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," it added.
But NASA, having burnt its fingers after the twin accidents of the Challenger and Columbia space shuttles, did not want to take any risks.
In a statement, NASA said the "uncertainty and lack of expert concurrence does not meet the agency's safety and performance requirements for human spaceflight".
Experts said the space capsule which Indian origin astronaut Sunita Williams had piloted to the International Space Station (ISS) is the most modern crew module and has been designed to ensure that astronauts who fly in it are safe and comfortable. Ms Williams herself has her imprint on almost all aspects of the spacecraft as she has been involved in its making for a long time.
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