**NASA and Boeing Gear Up for Starliner’s Uncrewed Homecoming Amid Program Ambiguity**
NASA and Boeing are advancing with the final arrangements to detach the Starliner spacecraft from the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday, September 6, 2024. The spacecraft, originally set to return astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to Earth, will now make the trip uncrewed due to safety issues following thruster malfunctions during its journey to the ISS in early June.
### A Shift in Strategy
Initially, Wilmore and Williams were scheduled to come back to Earth aboard the Starliner, marking the end of Boeing’s Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission. However, NASA officials considered the risk too high to continue with the crewed return after the spacecraft faced considerable technical difficulties. Consequently, the astronauts will remain on the ISS for an extended duration, with plans to return to Earth no sooner than February 2025 aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule.
The Starliner, operating autonomously, is set to separate from the ISS at approximately 6:04 pm EDT (22:04 UTC) on September 6. Following a number of engine burns to exit orbit, the spacecraft aims for a parachute-assisted landing at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico at about 12:03 am EDT (04:03 UTC) on September 7.
### Flight Preparedness and Weather Factors
NASA and Boeing concluded a two-day Flight Readiness Review on Thursday, giving the Starliner the green light for undocking and landing. Nonetheless, the mission’s timing is still dependent on suitable weather conditions at the White Sands landing site. NASA and Boeing will make a conclusive decision next week on whether to move forward with the return on Friday night or postpone it for improved weather conditions.
In anticipation of the uncrewed return, flight controllers have revised the Starliner’s software to manage a fully autonomous descent and landing. This mission will be Boeing’s third unpiloted Starliner flight, although it was intended to be the inaugural crewed flight, a vital milestone for certifying the spacecraft for regular operational missions transporting astronauts to and from the ISS.
### Prospects for Boeing’s Starliner Initiative
The choice to return Starliner without its crew brings forth significant inquiries regarding the future of Boeing’s commercial crew program. Boeing’s newly appointed CEO, Kelly Ortberg, has assured NASA Administrator Bill Nelson of the company’s ongoing dedication to the Starliner project. Nevertheless, Boeing will face the financial consequences of addressing the complications that emerged during the CFT mission, including overheating thrusters and helium leaks.
Currently, Boeing has not issued any public comments about the long-term prospects of the Starliner program. The spacecraft’s failure to conclude its test flight as scheduled has raised concerns about its readiness for upcoming missions, leading NASA to potentially lean more on SpaceX’s Dragon capsules for crew transport to the ISS.
### Adapting for Emergencies
NASA’s decision to prolong Wilmore and Williams’ stay on the ISS and return them via a Dragon capsule has necessitated some modifications to crew operations. This week, astronauts have been reconfiguring the interior of the Dragon spacecraft currently moored at the ISS to accommodate six crew members in the event of an emergency evacuation.
With Starliner’s exit, the Dragon capsule will act as the lifeboat for the entire ISS crew, including Wilmore and Williams. However, this setup poses its own challenges. Should an emergency require the crew to abandon the ISS, one of the Starliner astronauts would need to return to Earth without a spacesuit, as the Dragon capsule offers only four standard seats outfitted with SpaceX-made pressure suits.
NASA has addressed this risk by ensuring that a spare SpaceX suit, already present on the ISS, is suitable for one of the Starliner astronauts. The second astronaut’s pressure suit is set to be delivered on the next Dragon mission, Crew-9, scheduled for launch no earlier than September 24, 2024.
### Effects on Future Endeavors
The issues surrounding Starliner have also interfered with plans for the upcoming Crew-9 mission. NASA revealed on Friday that it would revise the Crew-9 roster, which includes substituting the mission’s commander, Zena Cardman, with seasoned astronaut Nick Hague. Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will accompany Hague on the mission.
This crew modification is part of a wider “seat swap” agreement between NASA and Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos. The arrangement guarantees that at least one U.S. astronaut and one Russian cosmonaut are always present on the ISS, even if either the Dragon or Soyuz spacecraft is out of commission. This redundancy is vital for sustaining the ISS’s essential systems, including propulsion, power generation, and thermal control.
### Final Thoughts
As NASA and Boeing prepare for Starliner’s uncrewed return to Earth, the result of this mission could have considerable ramifications for the future of Boeing’s commercial crew program. While the spacecraft’s
