Astronauts stranded resume Starliner voyages
After a nine-month extension of their stay at the International Space Station (ISS), US astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams have safely returned to Earth aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon in March 2025. The prolonged mission was the result of critical technical issues experienced by the Boeing Starliner spacecraft during its first crewed flight to the ISS in June 2024.
The Starliner encountered several problems, including a cascading failure of four Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters during docking, leaving only one thruster functioning and causing a near loss of full attitude control of the spacecraft. Astronaut Butch Wilmore noted the situation was very dangerous, saying it was uncertain if the crew could return safely at that point.
Further complications arose from multiple helium leaks, which disabled the propulsion system and made the spacecraft's maneuverability and safety questionable. As a consequence, NASA made the unprecedented decision to send the Starliner back to Earth uncrewed, leaving the astronauts stranded on the ISS far beyond their planned approximately eight-day mission.
These issues were compounded by prior challenges with the spacecraft, including software errors in earlier test flights and valve corrosion that delayed earlier missions. Even during the uncrewed re-entry, the crew module experienced a thruster failure separate from the service module’s problems, raising questions about the overall trustworthiness of the vehicle’s systems.
Barry Wilmore, one of the astronauts, admitted his own responsibility for not asking questions during the mission that could have potentially changed the outcome. Upon their return to Houston, Texas, they were greeted by their husbands and dogs, and Wilmore and Williams expressed their satisfaction with their physical condition. Suni Williams even ran three miles the day after returning to Earth.
NASA and Boeing have emphasized their commitment to the Starliner as an alternative to the Crew Dragon of SpaceX. Both parties involved bear responsibility for the issues with the Starliner, and they are currently working on fixing the thruster and helium leak problems. The next flight of the Starliner is planned for early 2026, subject to system certification and resolution of these technical issues.
Despite the setbacks, NASA decided to send the astronauts back to Earth with a Crew Dragon for safety reasons, ensuring their safe return after the prolonged stay on the ISS. The International Space Station (ISS) had two astronauts for nearly nine months longer than originally planned due to the malfunction of the Starliner.
The malfunctioning of the Boeing Starliner's Reaction Control System and helium leaks during its mission April exports questions about its trustworthiness, necessitating a switch to the SpaceX Crew Dragon for returning astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams. NASA and Boeing are collaborating to resolve the thruster and helium leak problems in preparation for the Starliner's planned early 2026 flight, with the focus on improving the spacecraft's performance in space-and-astronomy and ensuring the success of the science missions.
