NASA Is Going To Get Starliner Astronauts Home On A Space X Dragon After All So Get Ready For The Smugness

Remember back in June when I assured you that, according to NASA, the two astronauts who flew to the ISS in Boeing’s new crewed spacecraft, Starliner, were not actually “stranded?” Well, NASA still insists they’re not stranded, but has made the decision to return astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore to Earth aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. This seems to be the best path to guarantee the safety of the astronauts, though many SpaceX/Elon Musk fans will be delighted by this decision for reasons that have very little to do with safety.

NASA is still sticking to their guns and saying that, should an emergency arise, Butch and Suni could ride the Starliner back home, as they state in the mission’s FAQ:

Are Butch and Suni stuck on the space station?

No, Butch and Suni are safe aboard the space station working alongside the Expedition 71 crew. They also have been actively involved in Starliner testing and technical meetings. Butch and Suni could return home aboard Starliner if an emergency arises. The agency also has other return options available, if needed, for both contingency and normal returning planning.

Even so, this is a terrible look for Boeing, who is already not exactly enjoying the best reputation for building safe vehicles at the moment.

The problem with the Starliner spacecraft started on June 6, as the capsule was approaching the space station. Helium leaks were detected in the reaction control system thrusters, which let the spacecraft steer and orient itself in space, and while Boeing claims that 27 of 28 RCS thrusters are fine and operating at full capacity, NASA has still decided to send the two astronauts home on the SpaceX Dragon already scheduled to bring astronauts to the station in February 2025.

Here’s NASA’s reasoning for their decision:

Since then, engineering teams have completed a significant amount of work, including reviewing a collection of data, conducting flight and ground testing, hosting independent reviews with agency propulsion experts, and developing various return contingency plans. The uncertainty and lack of expert concurrence does not meet the agency’s safety and performance requirements for human spaceflight, thus prompting NASA leadership to move the astronauts to the Crew-9 mission.

Oh, what’s a little uncertainty and lack of expert concurrence between friends?

So, as of this moment, the Crew-9 mission that will be launching no earlier than September 24 will be reduced from four astronauts to two, and then return with Butch and Suni, filling out the full complement of four, in February 2025, with the two Starliner astronauts filling in as part of the normal six-month crew rotation.

(Williams and Wilmore in the hatch between the ISS and Starliner. Credit: NASA)

This decision from NASA does seem to center the safety of the astronauts, and that’s good. NASA is also being careful not to describe their return in any “rescue” context, since they insist that Starliner could get them home in an emergency, and they’re not specially launching a Dragon capsule to come get the pair; they’re just re-shuffling crew on an already-planned launch.

Still, this is a hell of a delay and a vastly longer mission than Williams or Wilmore signed up for, and while, as astronauts, I’m sure they’re ready and perhaps even eager for more time in space, it has to be hard for their people stuck here on Earth.

And, oh boy is this embarrassing for Boeing. It doesn’t matter if the capsule could work fine or if 27 of the 28 thrusters are working perfectly, from a PR standpoint this is such a disaster. Boeing’s already beleaguered reputation absolutely did not need something like this, and even though NASA insists the SpaceX capsule isn’t “rescuing” the astronauts, that’s pretty much exactly how it will be treated by the general public and, especially, SpaceX/Tesla/Elon Musk fans, who will likely have a very good time with this when that Dragon returns to Earth.

Interestingly, it’s possible – though I’m not entirely certain – that this is just the second time a crewed spacecraft will go up with astronauts and return empty? I believe the first time was when a Soyuz capsule docked to the station sprung a bad coolant leak back in late 2022; that Soyuz returned to Earth empty, and another Soyuz was launched empty and returned with three crew, which was another first – first crewed spacecraft to go up empty and return with people. So at least Starliner has that potentially going for it?

No, Astronauts On The ISS Are Not Stranded Because Of Boeing’s Starliner, Despite What You Read

Boeing’s New Spacecraft Launches To The ISS And Is Only Humanity’s 10th Human-Crewed Type Of Spacecraft

A Soyuz Spacecraft Will Launch To The ISS To Replace That One With A Coolant Leak, Marking A Very Specific Space-First