NASA is anticipated to make a decision on Saturday on the return of two astronauts who boarded Boeing’s Starliner to the International Space Station or if they will have to wait a bit longer to board rival SpaceX.
The latter would put Boeing through yet another PR nightmare in addition to perhaps causing astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to spend eight months in orbit rather than the eight days that were initially scheduled.
A group tasked with reaching a decision will convene on Saturday, with NASA chief Bill Nelson in attendance.
The US space agency has tentatively scheduled a news conference for 1:00 pm (1700 GMT), presumably to announce its verdict.
Following years of delays in Starliner development, the spaceship finally lifted off in early June, delivering seasoned astronauts Wilmore and Williams to the International Space Station.
After eight days in orbit, the capsule was supposed to return them to Earth, but NASA postponed their return indefinitely as it looked into issues with the craft’s propulsion system.
NASA officials are considering the extremely uncommon possibility of returning the two astronauts from the flying laboratory on a previously planned SpaceX rocket in February rather than on their own craft.
In an attempt to identify the source of the issue, Boeing and NASA engineers have been testing the Starliner’s systems extensively for weeks.
Their worry is that the craft might not have the propulsive power to wrest itself out of orbit and begin the descent toward Earth.
If NASA experts decide the Starliner is not safe, the craft would return without any passengers.
The SpaceX Crew-9 mission would then take off in late September, but carrying only two passengers instead of the originally planned four.
It would remain moored to the ISS until its scheduled return in February, bringing back its own crew members plus their two stranded colleagues.
Such an approach would be a stinging blow to the already tarnished image of US giant Boeing, whose airplane arm has been beset in recent years with concerns about safety and quality control.
Ten years ago, following the retirement of the Space Shuttle, NASA ordered new vessels from both Boeing and SpaceX that could ferry astronauts to and from the ISS.
NASA reasoned that since there were two of these vehicles, there would always be a backup in case something went wrong with one of them.
However, Elon Musk’s SpaceX outperformed Boeing and has been the only astronaut taxi for the last four years.
The crewed Starliner flight this year was intended to be the final test of the vehicle before it goes into normal operations. It came after years of setbacks and disappointments during the craft’s construction.
According to NASA, there are plenty of supplies, the astronauts aboard the ISS are prepared for long stays, and there are plenty of experiments to carry out.
