NASA is considering using SpaceX’s crew capsule to return two astronauts from the International Space Station who arrived on Boeing’s Starliner back in June.
Since Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams arrived at the station, Boeing and NASA have been investigating a number of issues with the vehicle, including a helium leak and faulty thrusters.
Boeing conducted tests of the thrusters and says confidence is high in returning the crew in the Starliner craft. But NASA is unsure and has asked another commercial contractor, SpaceX, to come up with a plan to return the astronauts.
That plan would involve sending an already scheduled crewed mission to the station with two astronauts instead of the planned four, and having Wilmore and Williams hitch a ride back home in February.
“As we’ve said before, our prime option is to return Butch and Suni on Starliner, but we have done the requisite planning to make sure we have other options open,” said Steve Stitch, manager for NASA's commercial crew program.
NASA has already delayed the scheduled SpaceX Crew-9 mission from Aug. 18 to Sept. 24 to allow mission planners time to consider return options for Wilmore and Williams.
If NASA decides to go with the SpaceX return option, two of the four astronauts would get bumped, making room for the Boeing astronauts to return.
"Now, we haven't approved this plan," Stitch told reporters Wednesday, but he added that NASA has "done all the work to make sure this plan is there. We have the suits identified to fly up on Crew-9. We have the seats set up so that we can fly a multiple compliment of people, but we have not turned that on formally."
The agency has until mid-August to make that call.
Wilmore and Willams launched to the station June 5 on a test flight of Starliner, the craft's first mission carrying human passengers. It's a critical test of the vehicle before NASA certifies it for regular operational missions. The mission was initially planned to last about eight days.
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