NASA has delayed the return of two astronauts from the International Space Station (ISS) for the third time, sparking fears that the crew could be “stranded”.
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were originally scheduled for a nine-day residency that was postponed twice this month and is now sitting on an unspecified date.
The extended stay is to allow more time to review technical problems encountered by the capsule en route to the ISS, including failed nozzles and leaking valves, Boeing said in a statement.
DailyMail.com spoke to experts who said NASA could be forced to launch a rescue mission and could use Elon Musk’s SpaceX to carry it out.
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were originally scheduled for a nine-day stay, but NASA revealed that they are now standing on an unspecified date.
Katsuo Kurabayashi, a professor of aerospace engineering at New York University, said: “Given the current situation with the Starliner, it is possible that NASA could decide to use an alternative spacecraft, such as SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, to bring the astronauts home safely.
“As far as I can tell at this point, the recent mission delay to July alone should not raise serious concerns leading to another high-demand rescue mission or future abandonment of Starliner-based missions.
“But if they happen to start talking about a rescue mission, that would mean that some serious, potentially life-threatening hardware defects have been found with the Starliner.
The return of the astronauts was first pushed to June 14, and last week it was postponed to June 26.
NASA said its staff is evaluating return dates for the station’s two planned spacewalks on June 24 and July 2 — hoping to bring both astronauts back to Earth by early July at the latest.
Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager, said: “We’re taking our time and following a standard mission management team.
“We let the data guide our decision-making in relation to managing the small helium system leaks and thruster performance that we observed during rendezvous and docking.
Additionally, due to the length of the mission, it is appropriate that we complete an agency-level review similar to what was done prior to the return of NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 after two months in orbit to document the agency’s formal acceptance that it is proceeding as planned.”
The extended stay is to allow more time to review the technical problems that have occurred, including propeller failure and leaking valves, Boeing said in a statement.
The Starliner experienced five failures of its 28 maneuvering thrusters, five leaks of the helium gas that was supposed to pressurize the thrusters, and a slow-moving propellant valve that signaled unresolved past problems since launch.
The Starliner lifted off June 5 at 10:52 a.m. ET from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida last week with the same leak that forced the scrubbing in May.
However, the capsule went off with a familiar leak that was said to be no bigger than a shirt button and quite thin.
Stich said last month that he was confident 27 of those 28 nozzles were working properly, with no leaks or other problems.
However, the Starliner experienced five failures of its 28 maneuvering thrusters, five leaks of the helium gas intended to pressurize those thrusters, and a slow-moving propellant valve that signaled unresolved past problems since launch.
When Starliner arrived near the space station to dock on June 6, five thruster failures prevented the spacecraft from making a close approach until Boeing made a repair.
He rewrote the software and tweaked some procedures to bring four of them to life and proceed with docking.
Detachment of the Starliner and return to Earth represent the most complex phases of the spacecraft’s test mission.
Boeing spent $1.5 billion in cost overruns over its $4.5 billion NASA development contract.
NASA officials said they want to better understand the cause of the thruster failure, valve problems and helium leaks before the Starliner begins its return.
While only one propeller remains dead in the Starliner’s current flight, Boeing has encountered four propeller problems during the unmanned capsule’s return from space in 2022.
The leak, which forced the scrubbing in May, raised concerns among a NASA contractor who urged the space agency to “repeat double safety checks and review safety protocols to make sure the Starliner is safe before something catastrophic happens.”
The Starliner lifted off on June 5 at 10:52 a.m. ET from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida last week with the same leak that forced the scrubbing in May.
Erin Faville, president of ValveTech, expressed concern about this month’s launch, telling DailyMail.com: “I have warned. I decide to let it play out.’
While neither NASA nor Boeing seemed concerned about the initial leak, Mike Gruntman, an astronautics professor at the University of Southern California, suggested the problems stemmed from manufacturing issues.
“Multiple similar problems – helium leaks – with seemingly similar components, as reported in the press, points to a systemic problem with design or processing or testing or systems engineering or a combination of these,” he told DailyMail.com.
Gruntman also said that “it is more likely that SpaceX will be able to provide another launch in the foreseeable future to bring the astronauts back.”
The Starliner’s problems follow a string of problems that have plagued Boeing’s commercial aircraft.
A Boeing jet experienced a rare Dutch roll at 32,000 feet mid-flight last month, resulting in the plane being taken out of service.
Southwest Airlines flight Southwest Flight 746 was flying from Phoenix to Oakland with 175 passengers on May 25 when it experienced a terrifying Dutch flyover.
Dutch roll is the name given to the combination of a turning motion where the tail slides and the aircraft swings from wing tip to wing tip. It is said to mimic the movement of a Dutch figure skater.
In the same month, Singapore Airlines Flight SQ321 experienced fatal “turbulence” involving the proximity of tropical storms.
The Boeing 777 operated by Singapore Airlines left London Heathrow Airport at 22:17 local time with 211 passengers and 18 crew on board.
However, the turbulence resulted in several injuries and one death – it is unclear whether there was a problem with the Boeing or if it was a natural event.
And just last week, Air Canada’s Boeing burst into flames seconds after takeoff.