NASA postpones next SpaceX mission due to Boeing Starliner issues

NASA announced Tuesday that it has delayed SpaceX’s routine launch of astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) by one month to allow more time to analyze problems with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which is still docked with the space station.

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft was originally scheduled to launch four astronauts to the ISS on Aug. 18, but NASA said that mission, called Crew-9, is now scheduled “no earlier than” Sept. 24.

“This adjustment gives mission managers more time to complete planning for the return of the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, which is currently attached to the space laboratory,” the agency said.

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft launched the first two astronauts to the ISS in June. It was a key test mission that had to be completed before NASA could certify the spacecraft for routine astronaut flights. This milestone was achieved in 2020 by SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule.

But Starliner’s test mission, originally scheduled to last about eight days, has taken much longer due to a series of problems with the spacecraft’s propulsion system that Boeing and NASA are scrambling to resolve.

Those problems have thrown into doubt Starliner’s ability to safely return its crew, veteran NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, to Earth. NASA is investigating whether a Crew Dragon capsule should instead bring them home.

“No decisions have been made regarding Starliner’s return,” NASA’s statement said.

Securities and Exchange Commission documents show the delays have cost Boeing $125 million (roughly Rs. 1,049 crore), bringing the total loss the company has made on the program since 2016 to $1.6 billion (roughly Rs. 13,430 crore). The aerospace giant is struggling to build a spacecraft that can compete with SpaceX’s more experienced and cheaper Crew Dragon.

© Thomson Reuters 2024

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