Tech Desk
Aug 08, 2024
NASA revealed that it’s prepared a contingency plan for the Boeing Starliner crew if the craft isn’t deemed safe for a return flight. This was learned from an official NASA press conference.
The Boeing Starliner took off on June 9th and was due to make the return trip in 10 days, but trouble soon struck, upon docking at the International Space Station (ISS), issues were reported with its thrusters.
This has prolonged a 10-day trip into two months as Astronauts, Garry Wilmore and Sunita Williams remained stalled in orbit. Nasa is now prepared to take up an alternate route via SpaceX’s September Crew-9 mission.
Read more: SpaceX's Crew-9 astronaut launch delayed due to Boeing Starliner issues
The mission will include two astronauts who’ll dock at the ISS, leaving behind space for the stick astronauts.
However, until then the astronauts are bound to endure a longer wait, as the crew-9 mission will happen no earlier than September where it's also possible that it may be used as retrieval if NASA and Boeing are unable to resolve the issues onboard the Starliner.
If this comes to fruition, it'll just be another unpleasant setback for Boeing, the company has already gone through the exploding door plug fiasco and is now reeling from the second-hand embarrassment of pleading guilty to criminal fraud. The development is likely to impede its partnership with NASA.
