NASA has officially launched plans to send Boeing's Starliner back into space, but a US airforce veteran warns that doing so could lead to more stranded astronauts.
Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore returned to Earth last week in a SpaceX Dragon capsule, after their June 2024 trip to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard Starliner ran into multiple technical problems.
With the original capsule deemed too risky to transport them and a series of rescue attempts being delayed, the pair were stranded in space or almost 10 months.However, NASA announced it’s still committed to Starliner and plans to give it another shot. The space agency also stressed the importance of having two independent crew transportation systems for future missions.
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Boeing's first Starliner project has already cost over $4.5 billion and has faced years of setbacks, including malfunctions, missed deadlines and technical glitches.
Meanwhile, Rudy Ridolfi, a US Air Force veteran and former Space System Commander, is questioning whether it’s wise to keep pushing forward with Starliner.
"Given Boeing's delayed history with Starliner schedules, the expectation that they can complete fixes and complete the additional test flight appears unlikely," Ridolfi explained.
Steve Stich, NASA's Commercial Crew Program manager, added: "We're certainly looking at Starliner very carefully. Butch and Suni's return on Dragon, to me, shows how important it is to have two different crew transportation systems."
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That said, Starliner is now essentially back to square one, according to NASA. Before it can carry astronauts again, it’ll need to regain full certification for the Commercial Crew Program. The initiative is responsible for launching US astronauts from American soil, but this hasn't happened since NASA retired from the space shuttle program in 2011.
Until Starliner’s debut flight with Crew-9 in June 2024, SpaceX had handled all eight previous crewed missions to the ISS, beginning in 2020.
Starliner's journey resulted in five of its 28 thrusters failing by the time it reached orbit, forcing NASA to delay docking attempts.
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As a result, the space agency announced they and Boeing have made upgrades to the spacecraft's propulsion system to ensure the thrusters function properly in future launches.
The vehicle will then have a test flight without a crew aboard. This flight is designed to prove that the updated thrusters work and that the capsule can dock safely with the ISS without springing any more leaks, Stich added.
"I think that is what is driving the second test flight requirement," Ridolfi continued. "NASA does not want to be in a position where they have to make a decision to not return a crew with the Boeing Starliner again."
With the current billions being spent on Starliner, there's not much more room for error going forward.