Could 2 NASA astronauts be stuck on the space station until next year? Here’s what you should know

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA is struggling to decide how and when to bring two astronauts back from the International Space Station after repeatedly delaying their return aboard the troubled Boeing capsule.

Do they take a chance and send them home right away on the Boeing Starliner? Or wait and bring them back next year with SpaceX?

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have been there since early June, with their planned eight-day mission at the two-month mark and possibly exceeding eight months.

Testing continues, with Boeing expressing confidence in its spacecraft but NASA divided. A decision is expected next week.

WHAT’S WRONG WITH BOEING’S STARLINER?

This is Boeing first time launching astronautsafter flying two empty Starliners that suffered software and other problems. Even before Wilmore and Williams took off on June 5, their capsule developed a propulsion-related plumbing leak. Boeing and NASA considered the small helium leak stable and isolated and proceeded with the test flight. But as Starliner approached the space station the next day, four more leaks emerged. Five thrusters also failed.

The capsule managed to dock safelyand four of the thrusters finally worked. But engineers fought back, conducting thruster firing tests on the ground and in space. After two months, there is still no root cause for the thrusters’ malfunction. All but one of the 28 thrusters look good, but the fear is that if too many of them fail again, crew safety could be compromised. Thrusters are needed at the end of the flight to keep the capsule in the correct position for the critical de-orbit burn.

ARE THE TWO ASTRONAUTS ARRESTED?

NASA bristles at suggestions that Wilmore and Williams are trapped or imprisoned. NASA emphasized from the beginning that in a space station emergency – such as a fire or decompression – the Starliner could still be used by the pair as a lifeboat to depart. A former NASA executive said Thursday that astronauts are “kind of trapped,” though certainly not trapped. They are safe aboard the space station, with plenty of supplies and work to do, Scott Hubbard said.

If NASA decides to return to SpaceX, Starliner will be released first to open one of the two US capsule parking spaces. Before that happens, Wilmore and Williams would create seats for themselves in the SpaceX Dragon capsule currently docked at the space station. This is because every station occupant needs a lifeboat at all times. Once the Starliner’s docking port is empty, SpaceX could launch another Dragon to fill that spot — the one Wilmore and Williams would ride.

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WHY WILL THEY HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL NEXT YEAR?

Like Boeing’s Starliner, SpaceX’s Dragon is designed to carry four astronauts. To make room for Wilmore and Williams, NASA said Wednesday it could knock out two of the four astronauts scheduled to launch to the space station next month with SpaceX. The empty seats would be reserved for Wilmore and Williams, but they would have to remain there until February. This is because missions at the station must last at least six months. Some lasted a year. Two Russians up there will now end a yearlong stint when they return in a three-seat Soyuz capsule in September, alongside a NASA crewmate. There’s no thought of ordering a special express from SpaceX, and the Dragon at the station is now the ride home next month for four residents.

This is not the first time that an American astronaut has had an extended stay. NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and his two Russian crew members ended up spending just over a year in space after their docked Soyuz capsule was hit by space debris and leaked all of its coolant. An empty Russian capsule was sent to bring them back last September.

WHAT DO ASTRONAUTS THINK ABOUT ALL THIS?

Wilmore and Williams are retired Navy captains and longtime NASA astronauts who already have long missions on the space station. Wilmore, 61, and Williams, 58, said going into this test flight that they expected to learn a lot about the Starliner and how it works. At their only news conference from space in July, they assured reporters that they were staying busy, helping with repairs and research, and expressed confidence in all the Starliner testing going on behind the scenes. There has been no public word yet from them about the prospects for an eight-month stay.

IS THERE ENOUGH FOOD, WATER AND AIR?

Wilmore and Williams’ suitcases were removed from the Starliner before liftoff to make room for urgently needed equipment for the space station’s urine-to-drinking water recycling system. So they made do with extra clothes that were already upstairs. A supply ship finally arrived this week with their clothes, along with extra food and science experiments for the entire nine-person crew. More supplies are expected to be delivered in a few more months. As for air, the space station has its own oxygen generation systems. Despite the fat reserves, NASA would like to get back to normal as quickly as possible. In addition to Wilmore and Williams, there are four other Americans and three Russians on board.

WHY IS NASA JOINING STARLINER?

NASA deliberately hired two companies to fly its crews to and from the space station, just as it did to deliver cargo. The space agency considered this a sort of insurance policy: If one crew or cargo provider became stranded, the other could carry the cargo. «We want to have another alternative, both for cost reasons and for security reasons and options. Therefore, NASA needs Boeing to succeed,” said Hubbard, who served on the Columbia Accident Investigation Board in 2003.

Even with the latest setbacks, NASA insists it wants to continue using Boeing Starliners for astronaut travel. The goal is to send a Dragon and a Starliner every year with crews, six months apart, until the station is retired in 2030. SpaceX has been at this since 2020.

WHAT DOES BOEING SAY?

Boeing insists its capsule can still take astronauts home safely. But the company said Wednesday that it would take steps to return the empty capsule if that is NASA’s decision. Last week, the company published a list of all tests carried out on the thrusters since takeoff.

“We still believe in the Starliner’s capabilities and its flight logic.” the company said.

A longtime space contractor, Boeing has had to overcome several Starliner problems over the years. The company had to launch an empty Starliner twice before hiring a crew, repeating the initial flight test due to bad software and other problems. The delays cost the company more than $1 billion.

Hubbard questions whether NASA and Boeing should have launched the crew with the original helium leak, which spread to more.

“Whatever happens with Starliner, they need to figure out what the problem was and fix it,” he said, “and give everyone confidence that they are still in the aerospace business in a big way.”

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