Before the inaugural manned flight of its Starliner spacecraft earlier this month, Boeing warned onlookers that things might not go perfectly. That has proven to be something of an understatement, as Boeing astronauts are now stuck at the International Space Station (ISS).
The crew of the Starliner was supposed to be on board the International Space Station for eight days. Now, that timeline has been extended to an indefinite date in the future, as the aerospace company continues to troubleshoot issues that have come up since the Starliner’s launch.
Space travel is fraught with hazards, but this trip has stood out—and Boeing faces yet another ding to its once stellar, now considerably tarnished, reputation. It’s a story that’s capturing people’s attention rapidly, but if you’re just tuning in, getting up to speed may be a challenge. Here’s where things currently stand.
How many astronauts are stuck on the ISS?
Boeing’s Starliner carried two people on board—Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore. Both are experienced astronauts. Williams was last in space in 2012 and Wilmore in 2015.
While the word “stranded” is being thrown around a lot to describe their predicament, that’s not really accurate. They could leave if they wanted but are delaying their departure to study problems that have come up with the spacecraft.
Are the astronauts in any danger?
No more than any other astronaut on the ISS. The ISS can accommodate up to eight spaceships at a time, meaning supplies can always be sent up if necessary (though that’s not a current concern). They’re not even especially cramped while on board either, as the ISS measures 365 feet end-to-end.
Williams and Wilmore have been there less than two weeks. That’s nothing compared to the U.S. record-holder Peggy Whitson, who spent 665 days onboard the ISS.
And while there have been problems with the Starliner, it’s still cleared to return to Earth at any time. The delays are being done out of an abundance of caution.
What has gone wrong with Boeing’s Starliner?
Starliner has had a series of small helium leaks for some time. The initial thinking was that a bad seal was to blame, but Boeing has since backtracked and said it’s not sure what’s causing the issue. And as the ship neared the ISS with Williams and Wilmore onboard, five of the craft’s thrusters stopped working and had to be refired.
NASA has said the helium leaks aren’t a danger and that there’s plenty of redundancy in the thrusters, so the ship could fly back to Earth safely tomorrow in the event of an emergency. But because there’s not a rush to get the astronauts home, they’re working with the company to collect as much data as they can onboard the ship.
“We are taking our time and following our standard mission management team process,” Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, said in a statement. “We are letting the data drive our decision, making it relative to managing the small helium system leaks and thruster performance we observed during rendezvous and docking.”
When will Boeing attempt to bring the astronauts home?
The initial date for Starliner’s return trip was June 18. That got pushed to June 26 after the problems were discovered, and now NASA will only commit to sometime in July; a date that could still get postponed.
“The crew is not pressed for time to leave the station since there are plenty of supplies in orbit, and the station’s schedule is relatively open through mid-August,” NASA said in a statement.
What happens if the Starliner’s current troubles can’t be fixed?
As mentioned, the Starliner is still cleared to fly back to Earth. Should things get worse, and the craft loses that clearance, SpaceX could send a ship to the ISS to bring the Boeing astronauts home. That would be an incalculable PR black eye for Boeing, though, and is considered an absolute worst-case scenario.
Were these problems unexpected?
Not entirely. The helium leak was known even before the ship blasted off. The engine problems were a surprise but again, with the redundancies on board, they weren’t a reason to scrub the mission. Boeing has always classified this as a test flight, even though the mission was manned.
What’s next for Starliner after this trip is completed?
Once Starliner returns home, the next step for Boeing and NASA is to begin the certification process for the spacecraft, which would put it into a regular rotation for sending crew to and from the ISS (and get paid for doing so), alongside SpaceX. That’s a rigorous process, though, and there’s no timeline for how long that might take.
NASA, though, has said it hopes to have two means of transporting astronauts to and from the ISS, just in case there’s a problem with one at some point.