Tag: Starliner
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Boeing will try to fly its troubled Starliner capsule back to Earth next week
NASA and Boeing are proceeding with final preparations to undock the Starliner spacecraft from the International Space Station next Friday, September 6, to head for landing at White Sands Space Harbor in southern New Mexico. Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who were supposed to return to Earth inside Starliner, will remain behind on the…
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NASA not comfortable with Starliner thrusters, so crew will fly home on Dragon
Following weeks of speculation, NASA finally made it official on Saturday: Two astronauts who flew to the International Space Station on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft in June will not return home on that vehicle. Instead, the agency has asked SpaceX to use its Crew Dragon spacecraft to fly astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams back to…
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NASA’s Starliner decision was the right one, but it’s a crushing blow for Boeing
Ten years ago next month, NASA announced that Boeing, one of the agency’s most experienced contractors, won the lion’s share of government money available to end the agency’s sole reliance on Russia to ferry its astronauts to and from low-Earth orbit. At the time, Boeing won $4.2 billion from NASA to complete the development of…
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NASA says Boeing Starliner craft will land empty, with its crew returning months later
Boeing’s Starliner capsule is shown docked to the International Space Station with a turning Earth in the background. (NASA Photo) NASA has decided it’s too risky to have Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft return to Earth from the International Space Station with its two crew members, and so those astronauts will extend their stay by several months…
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Boeing Starliner returning without crew – Butch and Suni to fly SpaceX
The eventful Starliner Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission crewed by astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams has reached a point where a decision has now been made to return the astronauts home on Crew Dragon Freedom. This comes after the CFT mission stretched from the initial “soft” planning for eight days to spending two and…
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After months of mulling, NASA will decide on Starliner return this weekend
Senior NASA leaders, including the agency’s administrator, Bill Nelson, will meet Saturday in Houston to decide whether Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is safe enough to ferry astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams back to Earth from the International Space Station. The Flight Readiness Review (FRR) is expected to conclude with NASA’s most consequential safety decision in…
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Cards on the table: Are Butch and Suni coming home on Starliner or Crew Dragon?
After months of consideration, NASA said Thursday that it will finally decide the fate of two astronauts on board the International Space Station, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, by this weekend. As soon as Saturday, the two crew members will learn whether they’ll return on a Starliner spacecraft in early September or a Crew Dragon…
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Russian pensioners urge Vladimir Putin to rescue Starliner astronauts
One of the odder propaganda phenomena in Russia, of late, is seemingly spontaneous groups of elderly Russian pensioners gathering outdoors and espousing some random bit of agitprop. From a Western perspective, these are obviously staged and hilarious to behold. For example, last year a very earnest-looking group of elderly women and a few men urged…
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NASA acknowledges it cannot quantify risk of Starliner propulsion issues
With no consensus on the safety of the Starliner crew capsule, NASA officials said Wednesday they need another week or two before deciding whether to bring two astronauts back to Earth on Boeing’s spacecraft or extend their stay on the International Space Station until next year. Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, stricken by suspect thrusters and helium…
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NASA acknowledges it cannot quantify risk of Starliner propulsion issues
With no consensus on the safety of the Starliner crew capsule, NASA officials said Wednesday they need another week or two before deciding whether to bring two astronauts back to Earth on Boeing’s spacecraft or extend their stay on the International Space Station until next year. Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, stricken by suspect thrusters and helium…