NASA Decides Boeing's Starliner Is Too Risky For Return | SpaceX Crew Dragon Takes Over
Summary
TLDRNASA has decided that astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunny Williams will return from the International Space Station on SpaceX's Crew Dragon, not Boeing's Starliner, due to concerns over Starliner's propulsion system. The Starliner faced multiple issues, including RCS thruster malfunctions and helium leaks, prompting a cautious approach for crew safety. The astronauts have been in space for 80 days, significantly longer than planned, but are not stranded and have sufficient supplies. The Starliner will return uncrewed, and the decision has raised questions about Boeing's spacecraft program.
Takeaways
- đ NASA has decided that astronauts Butch Wilmore and Mike Fincke will return to Earth on SpaceX's Crew Dragon, not on Boeing's Starliner as originally planned.
- đ°ïž The Starliner spacecraft encountered multiple issues during its mission, including problems with its reaction control system thrusters and helium leaks.
- đ§ Despite the issues, Boeing and NASA teams were able to restore functionality to some of the thrusters and manage the helium leaks, but not enough to gain full confidence for a crewed return.
- â±ïž The mission duration for Butch and Sunny has been extended significantly, with them spending over 80 days in space, much longer than the initial plan.
- đ€ NASA's decision to use a different spacecraft for the return journey was primarily due to concerns over the safety of Starliner's propulsion system.
- đšâđ Astronauts Butch and Sunny are not stranded; they have sufficient resources on the ISS and can utilize another spacecraft as a safe haven if necessary.
- đ The return of Starliner to Earth will be uncrewed, with the spacecraft conducting an autonomous undocking, deorbit burn, and landing.
- đ The delay of SpaceX's Crew-9 mission allowed additional time for NASA and Boeing to assess the situation and make a decision regarding the return of the astronauts.
- đ ïž The outcome of this mission will influence future plans for Boeing's Starliner program, including the potential for operational missions without a crewed return during the flight test.
- đ The first operational mission of Starliner is currently scheduled for Autumn 2025, but the current situation might have implications for that timeline.
Q & A
Why did NASA decide not to use Starliner for the return trip of Butch and Sunny?
-NASA decided not to use Starliner for the return trip due to multiple issues with the spacecraft's propulsion system, including helium leaks and thruster shutdowns, which posed too great a risk for a safe undocking and deorbit.
What were the specific problems encountered with Starliner's reaction control system thrusters?
-Five of Starliner's reaction control system thrusters went offline due to the software disabling them when certain parameters were out of bounds, such as slower ramp up to full power or lower thrust than expected.
How did the astronauts and NASA respond to the thruster issues during the mission?
-NASA and Boeing were able to return four out of the five thrusters to operation by firing each thruster individually to ensure they were working as expected. The team at White Sands conducted tests to replicate the loss of thrust and identified a swelling on the Teflon seat as the cause of the thruster issues.
What was the significance of the helium leaks detected in Starliner?
-The helium leaks were significant because they indicated potential problems with the spacecraft's propulsion system. Boeing had to use extra helium to repressurize the system, and additional leaks were detected, raising concerns about the safety of the return trip.
How long were Butch and Sunny expected to stay in space, and how did the mission duration change?
-Butch and Sunny were initially expected to stay in space for a mission duration of 8 days, but they ended up staying for 80 days, which is 10 times longer than the original schedule.
What is the role of the SpaceX Crew Dragon in this decision by NASA?
-The SpaceX Crew Dragon will be used as the return vehicle for Butch and Sunny, as NASA has decided that Starliner is not safe enough for their return. This is a significant decision as it involves using a competitor's spacecraft for the return trip.
What is the plan for the return of Butch and Sunny if they cannot use Starliner?
-Butch and Sunny will return on SpaceX's Crew Dragon as part of the Crew-9 mission in February next year. Meanwhile, Starliner will perform an autonomous uncrewed undocking, deorbit burn, and landing in the Southwest United States.
How does this decision impact the future of the Starliner program?
-This decision could have significant consequences for the future of the Starliner program, potentially leading to reviews or even a cancellation. It also raises questions about Boeing's ability to deliver on its commercial crew contract with NASA.
What is the significance of the date set for the return of Butch and Sunny?
-The return of Butch and Sunny is scheduled for next February, which is significant as it allows for a crew handover on board the ISS and aligns with the timeline of the Crew-9 mission.
What contingency plans are in place for the safe haven of the ISS crew during the transition period?
-The Crew Dragon Endeavor, serving the Crew-8 mission, will be outfitted to act as a safe haven for Butch and Sunny during the period when neither their original Starliner nor the incoming Crew-9 Dragon are docked to the ISS.
Outlines
đ NASA's Decision to Use SpaceX's Crew Dragon for Return
NASA has confirmed that astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunny Williams will return to Earth on SpaceX's Crew Dragon instead of Boeing's Starliner. This decision comes after 80 days of testing and issue resolution with Starliner. The astronauts expressed confidence in Starliner despite issues with RCS thrusters and helium leaks. The return is scheduled for June 5th, 2024, and this decision has significant implications for Boeing's Starliner program.
đ°ïž Challenges Faced During Starliner's Mission
Starliner faced several technical issues during its mission, including problems with the reaction control system thrusters and multiple helium leaks. These issues led to a delay in docking with the International Space Station (ISS) and raised concerns about the safety of the return journey. Despite these challenges, Boeing's Vice President downplayed the significance of the problems, and the mission was extended due to various delays and the need to resolve the Starliner's issues.
đ§ NASA's Precautionary Decision for Astronauts' Return
NASA made a cautious decision to use SpaceX's Crew Dragon for the return of astronauts, citing concerns over the reliability of Starliner's propulsion system. The potential risks of undocking and deorbiting with the issues Starliner experienced were deemed too high. This decision was made to prioritize safety, even though it meant using a competitor's spacecraft. The absence of Boeing representatives during the announcement highlighted the significance of the decision.
đ Contingency Plans and Future Implications for Starliner
With the decision to return astronauts on Crew Dragon, Boeing will conduct an uncrewed return of Starliner. This will involve an autonomous undocking, deorbit burn, and landing. The mission's extension and the need for a safe haven before the arrival of Crew Dragon have led to contingency plans involving the current ISS crew and spacecraft. The future of the Starliner program remains uncertain, with the first operational mission scheduled for 2025, but the recent events may lead to reviews or even cancellations, affecting Boeing's reputation and financial commitments.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄStarliner
đĄCrew Dragon
đĄReaction Control System (RCS) Thrusters
đĄHelium leaks
đĄInternational Space Station (ISS)
đĄUndocking
đĄDeorbit
đĄCommercial Crew Program
đĄFlight Test
đĄSafe Haven
đĄExpedition 72
Highlights
NASA confirmed that astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams will return on SpaceX's Crew Dragon instead of Boeing's Starliner.
This decision has significant implications for the future of Boeing's Starliner program.
The astronauts expressed confidence in the Starliner's ability to return safely.
Boeing's Starliner experienced issues with its reaction control system thrusters during the approach to the International Space Station.
The thruster issues were caused by the Starliner's software disabling them due to incorrect parameters.
Boeing and NASA were able to restore four out of five thrusters by individual firing tests.
The investigation into the thruster issue revealed a previously unseen swelling on the Teflon seat.
Starliner also had problems with helium leaks in its propulsion system.
Boeing had to use extra helium to repressurize the system, which was a concern for the return mission.
A fifth helium leak was discovered during the mission, adding to the concerns about the spacecraft's safety.
The mission faced multiple delays, with the return date being pushed back several times.
NASA and Boeing decided that the risks associated with Starliner's propulsion system were too high for a crewed return.
The decision to use Crew Dragon for the return flight was made to ensure the safety of the astronauts.
Boeing will conduct an autonomous uncrewed return of Starliner to Earth.
The Crew Dragon spacecraft from the Crew 8 mission will serve as a safe haven for the ISS crew during the transition.
The crew assignments for the Crew 9 mission, which will bring Butch and Sunny back to Earth, are still being finalized.
The Starliner program's future is uncertain, with the first operational mission scheduled for 2025.
Transcripts
the decision has finally been made NASA
just confirmed Butch and sunny will not
return on Starliner but instead spacex's
crew Dragon this is a huge decision that
has colossal consequences on the future
of Boeing Starliner so we're going to
dive through the last 80 days of testing
and decision making and what's next for
these two astronauts Boeing and the
starer program
[Music]
[Applause]
with NASA making one of the biggest
decisions in the agency's history how do
we end up here feel really comfortable
about return now with that happening I
feel confident that if we had to if
there was a problem with the
International Space Station we can get
in our spacecraft and we can undock talk
to our team and figure out the best way
to come home plan has played out really
well in addition it's given us
additional confidence to undock and and
return and the Boeing team is um 100%
behind their vehicle they have
confidence in their vehicle that's what
we would like from them that they have
worked on it so hard and believe in it
so strongly that they would be a
tremendous uh supporter for a return on
their vehicle NASA has decided that
Butch and sunny will return with crew n
next February okay that's a let's break
that down and return to June 5th 2024 at
1452 and 15 seconds exactly UTC or 1052
local time ula's Atlas 5 with Starline
Calypso on top ascended from space
launch complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral
space force station in Florida returning
human space likee capabilities to this
side of the peninsula for the first time
since the Saturn program initially the
mission appeared to be progressing Nally
with Starliner separating from the cent3
upper stage and conducting its orbital
insert burn to put it on course for a
rendevu with the International Space
Station but and sunny even conducted a
manual flying demonstration where they
were able to manually Point Starliner
using the hand controller whilst
traveling through space however as we
would learn the following day this
mission was far from Problem free as it
approached the International Space
Station Starin Calypso began to suffer
issues with five of its reaction control
system or RCS thrusters these are the
smaller thrusters which spacecraft used
in order to rotate and translate in the
vacuum of space and they are critical
pieces of Hardware when Rend Ving let
alone docking with the space station
these thrusters were going offline
because of the way the Starliner
software was written by Boeing in the
event that one of the thrusters
parameters is out of bounds with a
slower than expected ramp up to full
power or lower thrust than expected as
examples the software automatically
completely disables it because of the
five thrusters going offline at various
points throughout the process the
docking itself was delayed for over an
hour as the I s s controllers wanted to
keep Starliner outside of their 200 M
so-called keep out sphere whilst its
thrusters were unreliable in the
briefing immediately following the
docking NASA and Boeing said that they
were able to return four out of the five
thrusters to operation by firing each
Thruster individually to ensure they
were working as expected at at Whit
Sands we we were excited and that was
really a turning point in that we were
able to replicate uh the loss of thrust
we simulated the the uphill profile in
other words how the thrusters fired from
the launch sequence into on orbit all
the way to docking we did two of those
uphill sequences and then we did a
number of downhills and so we were
encouraged when we saw that we could
actually see thrust degradation in those
downhill runs once we took the Thruster
apart and we looked at the the valve on
the oxide oxidizer side we saw this
swelling on the Teflon seat which uh
when we talked to the the vendor J
rodine they had never seen this before
in this particular Thruster and so
initially we were somewhat excited by
replicating the damage but or the
degradation and the thrust but then when
we looked a little more closely we saw
this swelling on the Teflon and then
that gave us a whole new uh idea of the
physics involved in the failure mode the
thrusters shutting themselves down
weren't the only issues with star
liner's propulsion system however the
helium atoms inside of the vehicle
decided they wanted to escape and two
leaks were detected prior to do which
were in addition to an original helium
leak detected before launch to allow
this docking to go ahead Boeing had to
use extra helium to repressurize the
propulsion system which they did and
then to make the headlines even worse
Starliner developed a fourth helium leak
after docking to the ISS however docking
to the ISS was actually quite beneficial
for the evaluation of these leaks
because when docked Boeing is able to
close the propulsion system manifolds
which in turn stops the helium from
leaking Bing's vice president and
commercial crew program manager Mark
nappy said at the time that these issues
were quote pretty small and he didn't
see these as quote significant at all
those are pretty small really issues to
go deal with and we'll figure them out
for the next mission uh so I I don't see
these as significant at all so that was
the playing field for the start of but
and sunny stay aboard the ISS Starliner
had some issues but the Boeing VP in
charge of the program said that these
issues weren't significant so it was
considered to be plain sailing nominal
operations from here Boeing still had 70
hours of helium left on board Starliner
and they only needed 7 hours of those to
undock deorbit and return the crew back
home or at least it was until June 10th
when NASA quietly included a line in
their latest update to the crew flight
test blog quote teams currently are
assessing what impact if any five small
leagues in the service module helium
manifolds would have on the remainder of
the mission that's right they had
announced a fifth leak on the the
service module which actually started
during the previous briefing hence why
NASA hadn't mentioned it until this
point This was later confirmed to be
much smaller than the prior four but
still it's one more leak than they had
before then came the raft of delays that
have become synonymous with the crew
flight test mission first on June 14th
NASA announced a delay to June 18th then
on the 18th it was extended to the 25th
then to early July without a firm date
then perhaps to the end of July and then
on July 25th they said they still hadn't
set a date at this point either they
were coming home tomorrow or the launch
of spacex's crew 9 rotation flight was
being delayed and it was the latter
originally slated for August 18th crew 9
was pushed to a not earlier than date of
September 24th giving NASA and buring an
extra month and a half of time to figure
out what on Earth they were going to do
to resolve the Starliner issues with one
final delay the deadline shifted from
mid August to late August and well that
day is today NASA astronauts Butch
Wilmore and sunny Williams commander and
pilot of the Starliner crew flight test
respective have now been in space for 80
Days exactly 10 times longer than the
original scheduled Mission duration
unlike some of the headlines you may
have read whilst browsing through the
internet over the last few weeks bridge
and sunny are not stranded aboard the
ISS that might sound strange given the
circumstances but they're not stuck
they're not running out of food they're
not running out of water or oxygen and
they also have a way to come home even
if it's not going to be the same ride
they took on the way up the station is
constantly supplied by multiple
different cargo vehic vehicles and has
reserves to run for months and months
even if the resupply ships stop coming
if anything they are both probably happy
to stay in space for longer helping the
other Crews on station to get through
all of the tasks and helping carry out
research inside the orbiting laboratory
of course it is probably taxing on the
sentimental side of things taking longer
to come back home and be with their
loved ones and missing events back on
the ground but astronauts are train for
this they are aware of these challenges
they know these things happen and
they're ready for it I mean think about
it they're astronauts it's not an easy
job so whoever is called upon to serve
in one of the riskiest jobs on the
planet and off the planet is for sure
ready for this type of thing we all went
into this knowing that this is a flight
test and with that it is it it does come
with some risk and again buts and sunny
were aware of that uh when they accepted
this Mission and they understand that
throughout a mission extension by itself
is not inherent bad this mission was
always designed to be a minimum of 8
days long meaning that there was always
room for it to be extended there are
actually many examples of other crew
missions being extended for multiple
reasons and as a matter of fact spacex's
demo 2 mission with Bob Benin and Doug
Hurley their equivalent of the Starliner
crew flight test was also extended
although that mission extension came
months before the launch took place and
it was in order for the crew to be part
of the station's Expedition 63 crew a
recent example more similar to Starliner
story is the case of the crew of so's
ms22 after a couple of months dock to
the station this spacecraft suffered a
coolant leak on its service module that
rendered it unsafe for a nominal return
to Earth its crew had to remain inside
the ISS for an entire year instead of
the usual six-month stay and they also
came back on so ms23 a different
spacecraft than the one they had used on
the way up so why and more importantly
how did NASA reach this conclusion it's
an enormous decision to make sending
Butch and sunny home on the competitor
spacecraft so it is a big deal to pick
Dragon over Starliner the easiest way to
explain it is that NASA can't trust star
liner's propulsion system the multiple
helium leaks detected in the Thruster
shutdowns whilst transiting to and
docked at the International Space
Station just posed too greater risk for
a crude undocking and deorbit and let's
be clear here space flight is inherently
risky that's just part of the game but
if there is any doubt anywhere within
the agency it's much better to ER on the
side of caution even with the
implications it could have it is a
trying to turn around the
culture that first led to the loss of
Challenger and then led to the loss of
Colombia where obvious mistakes were not
being brought forth in the event that
too many thrusters went offline during
star liner's undocking and or the
deorbit burn that could leave Starliner
stuck in orbit unable to return back to
Earth or perhaps the helium system would
leak so much Starliner just runs out of
it those are the types of scenarios that
would have been playing through the
mines at Nasa and Boeing and they needed
to make the decision on how to make sure
that doesn't ever happen NASA has openly
acknowledged before during media
briefings that there was disagreement
within the agency as to whether
Starliner was safe enough for a crude
turn or not and at the end of the day
the decision will keep rising up the
ranks until it ends up on the desk of
NASA administrator Bill Nelson it is far
far better for Butch and sunny to return
on Dragon freedom and Starin Calypso to
return to Earth uncrewed without issue
than it is to risk a loss of crew an
interesting note also is that in the
latest conference when administrator
Nelson announced that Butch and sunny
would be returning on crew 9 there were
no Boeing Representatives every single
panelist was from NASA Bill Nelson did
say he had just spoken to Boeing CEO
Kelly orberg but alas nobody from Boeing
was there to answer our questions the
reason Boeing's not here is is is it was
a NASA decision today crude un crude
that was the focus of this review and so
we thought it was reasonable to have
just NASA on this panel I will note
however that Boeing space on X has
posted a statement saying quote we
continue to focus first and foremost on
the safety of the crew and spacecraft we
are EX executing the mission as
determined by NASA and we are preparing
the spacecraft for a safe and successful
un crude return it should also be
pointed out that 2024 is a presidential
election year in the United States so
naturally it was asked in the conference
if politics took any part in this
decision I have seen some speculation in
the press that because we are in an
election season that
decisions may have been made with regard
to uh this
announced today with regard to an
election absolutely has nothing to do
with it and as long as I'm around here
it's not going to with that said the
next item on the agenda for staler is to
attempt a return back to Earth and
because NASA has decided it isn't safe
enough for but and sunny to be on board
Boeing will be conducting an autonomous
uncrewed undocking deorbit burn and
landing in the Southwest United States
during the briefing NASA did not specify
a date of when that undocking will take
place however it has to take place
before the crew 9 Mission launches if
NASA wishes to have a crew Handover on
board the station there are only two
docking adapters attached to the ISS
capable of handling dragon and Starliner
and well three spacecraft just won't fit
into two docking ports earlier you
mentioned that there would be a
simplified undocking procedure can you
kind of explain what that means of what
this undocking would be like compared to
say with crew uh and what the
contingency would be if there is an
issue at some point with that undocking
and burn away from the station and so
normally we would back away from the
space station um essentially go uh out
in front and then above the space
station and then eventually end up below
the space station and then on a
trajectory that that goes beneath and
and out in front of the space station
that was our normal U what we'll do is
we'll go through a AEP sequence that
puts us on I would say What's called a a
pag grade trajectory and so we'll end up
going essentially phasing out behind the
space station to a safe distance and
then we'll get away from the space
station execute the de at burn so uh
We've tested this step sequence it is
already in the software it's it's one of
the breakout sequences that are already
in the software and so what we'll do is
just go command that sequence early uh
and use that to get away more quickly
because Starliner will be undocking
prior to the arrival of crew 9 their new
ride home they need a safe haven which
isn't starl a Calypso or Dragon freedom
because there will be a period of time
where neither of them are docked to the
station and that's why the dragon
serving The Crew 8 mission crew Dragon
Endeavor will become the safe haven for
six ISS crew members the original four
from Kuwait plus BR and sunny in the
very unlikely event that the ISS becomes
uninhabitable for any reason or for
example controllers on the ground
believe there is a risk of being struck
by space debris the crew on board need
somewhere to evacuate to somewhere to
shelter in order to stay safe that is
normally always their designated return
vehicle if astronauts A and B are from a
soy and astronauts C and D are from a
dragon then A and B would use soyers as
their safe haven and C and D would use
Dragon as their safe haven but of course
when your return vehicle hasn't actually
arrived yet you need a different vehicle
to be your safe haven therefore crew8
Dragon Endeavor will be outfitted for
Butch and sunny to return on the cargo
pet at the AFT of the capsule so it can
act as this safe haven for them I will
reiterate however that this is not the
the plan it is just a contingency in
case something happens before crew 9
arrives and speaking of crew 9 they've
still got to launch but who are they is
an interesting question because Butch
and sunny have been assigned to two of
the four seats on the downward leg of
the mission NASA has to leave two seats
empty on the upward leg NASA still would
not confirm who would be flying and who
wouldn't be flying on crew 9 however we
highly suspect based on rumors and our
own estimations that NASA's Nick hag and
Stephanie Wilson originally the pilot
and Mission Specialist of crew n
respectively will be making way for
Butch and sunny crew n Mission will now
configure Dragon for two crew members
and will provide seats for Butch and
sunny to return we're also working to
finalize those crew assignments and
update the training plan this is to
allow the seat barter agreement between
NASA and Rose Kosmos to continue so
NASA's Zena Cardman will continue in her
role as commander of crew 9 whereas Rose
cosmos's Alexander gerov will
essentially get an upgrade to Pilot of
crew 9 the first time a Russian has
piloted an American spacecraft once crew
9 arrives at the ISS Butch and sunny
will become a part of that crew and
Expedition 72 taking on the jobs of
Hagen Wilson conducting scientific
research and living the astronaut life
until next February that's the scheduled
return month for crew 9 when Dragon
Freedom will undock deorbit and splash
down in the Pacific Ocean concluding an
approximately 9month mission for br
Wilmore and sunny Williams as I said
before though astronauts are aware of
these challenges before they ever step
foot in a spacecraft that duration of a
mission is not inherently a big deal
NASA has conducted longer missions
multiple times before and the overall
continuous space flight duration record
is held by Valeri poov at
4377 days long that's over 14 months
assuming Starliner Calypso is able to
conduct a full re-entry and Landing
successfully Boeing and NASA will be
conducting significant analysis of what
they can considering that they only get
the caps your back these Thruster and
helium issues have been on the service
module which is separated prior to
re-entry and will burn up in the
atmosphere there is no way to return
this Hardware to the ground multiple
times in multiple previous briefings
NASA officials have said that star liner
could still be certified to conduct
operational missions without returning a
crew home during its flight test some
may see that as an unexpected Outlook
but if NASA is confident in the vehicle
for future operations then it's their
call where they want to put their crew
Starliner 1 the first operational
mission of Starliner is currently
scheduled for the Autumn of 2025 but it
is double booked with spacex's crew 11
in the event that more time is needed
there's also a chance that there will be
calls from political figures or perhaps
even Boeing themselves for reviews into
or perhaps even a cancellation of the
Starliner program the commercial crew
contract awarded by NASA to SpaceX and
Boe is a fixed price contract that means
you get that amount of money and nothing
else the this is different to the
previous standard of Cost Plus contracts
where NASA would fit the bill no matter
what to date buring has spent its
awarded money so now it's footing the
bill itself for future Starliner
development either way this situation
will still not be a good look for boing
the company has seen multiple problems
with its commercial airplanes division
for years including the groundings of
the 737 Max following the 2 7378 max
crashes in 2018 and 2019 then the 7379
max being grounded again due to a door
plug popping out during an Alaska
Airlines flight at the start of this
year the endless delays with its Tri 7x
program and now the spacecraft side of
the business has had the Starliner CFT
mission to contend with the future of
this program is going to be interesting
no matter the outcome we're here every
Friday with this week in space fled our
weekly space news show and if it's not
in your routine to watch it yet then it
totally should be it's basically like
this video except squeeze it down to 3
minutes do lots of them in a row and
throwing in some launches throwing lisia
as well and yeah you need to watch it we
have been and will continue to be
keeping up with the Starliner program
over there for now I've been Ryan Kaden
for NSF thanks for watching and goodbye
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