Crew 9's Return of Stranded Starliner Astronauts May Be Postponed by NASA

Crew 9's upcoming return of stranded Starliner astronauts to Earth may be postponed by NASA. To make room for the Starliner crew, SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft could launch with two astronauts instead of four.

The Boeing Starliner spacecraft approaching the ISS. @ NASA

Crew 9's upcoming return of stranded Starliner astronauts to Earth may be postponed by NASA. To make room for the Starliner crew, SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft could launch with two astronauts instead of four.

It has been nearly two months since Boeing's Starliner spacecraft made its first crewed test flight to the International Space Station (ISS). NASA has consistently maintained that the Starliner is able to transport the crew back to Earth, despite a number of technical issues that have delayed the vehicle's return. However, recent reports suggest that the space agency is investigating other options for safely returning two astronauts to Earth.

According to anonymous sources who spoke with Ars Technica, officials at NASA are considering moving the launch of SpaceX's Crew 9 mission from August 18 to September 24 and putting two astronauts instead of four on board the Crew Dragon. This would make it possible for the Starliner crew to board a different vehicle for their journey back to Earth.

The move would flag the disappointment of Starliner's most memorable journey to the ISS with space travelers ready and would affirm that, in spite of NASA's endeavors to make light of the space apparatus' errors, it was not fit to convey a team back to Earth.

The Starliner CST-100 shuttle was launched on a United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket on June 5, carrying NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunny Williams. During its way to the ISS, five of the shuttle's engines failed, and the space apparatus developed five helium releases, one of which was detected before takeoff. The Starliner's return to Earth was postponed indefinitely while teams carried out a series of tests to collect additional data on the troublesome vehicle. The mission was originally scheduled to last eight days.

In spite of Starliner's extended stay docked to the ISS, NASA and Boeing have repeatedly assured that the vehicle is equipped for returning the crew safely and that the extra time in orbit is an opportunity to conduct tests that would otherwise be difficult to do with the rocket on the ground. The space agency and its commercial partner may soon need to backtrack on what was said, with reports suggesting that astronauts Wilmore and Williams will ride home on-board SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft instead.

During a press conference on July 10, representatives of NASA stated that Starliner would need to undock from the ISS prior to the August launch of the Crew 9 mission. At the briefing, NASA's Commercial Crew Program manager Steve Stich told reporters, "The prime option today is to return Butch and Sunny on Starliner. At this time, we don't see any reason why that wouldn't be the case." At that point, NASA was expecting to return its Starliner crew by the end of July. Now that the deadline has passed, NASA is reportedly considering delaying the launch of Crew 9.

The three NASA astronauts and one Roscosmos cosmonaut on the SpaceX Crew 9 mission are scheduled to spend six months aboard the ISS. However, sources reportedly told Ars Technica that there was a greater than 50-50 chance astronauts Wilmore and Williams would have to fly back on a SpaceX Dragon rocket due to ongoing discussions about the viability of the Starliner spacecraft. An unidentified source told CNBC that as of last week, there was still no agreement among those responsible for making the decision. The main concern was that they had not yet determined the root cause of the thruster failure.

Sending back an empty Starliner would be a significant catastrophe for NASA and its commercial partner Boeing, further diminishing trust in a vehicle marred by delays and failures. Until a final decision is made regarding the Starliner's capability of safely returning a crew to Earth, SpaceX is preparing to launch its ninth astronaut crew to the International Space Station (ISS).