After the failure, what's next for Boeing's Starliner program ?

© Boeing

The Boeing-designed Starliner capsule left Earth on June 5 last with two astronauts on board, Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore. The flight plan then announced an 8-day mission in space, it is the third mission in space to both. 24 hours after takeoff, the ship docks with the ISS.

But the trouble begins. Starliner encounters several helium leaks, 5 of the 20 engines do not work properly. Under these conditions, NASA decides to postpone the return of the astronauts to Earth by a few days, the time to conduct an internal investigation.

At the beginning of the week, the axe fell. The American space agency will return the Starliner capsule empty, the trip being too risky for the two astronauts. They will return to Earth next February, after spending 8 months in space. It is the capsule Crew Dragon of SpaceX that will take care of bringing them back to Earth.

Boeing in the eye of the storm

Already in turmoil with wayward planes on Earth, Boeing didn't really need new problems. Launched in 2010, the Starliner program was even supposed to be a way for the company to join the space race and make a quick profit by playing taxi for NASA.

But since their response to this call for tenders, nothing has gone as planned. Starliner has encountered years of delays and this first “qualification” flight has not reassured anyone that the ship is working properly. Today Starliner seems doomed to stay on Earth, so complicated is the situation for Boeing.

NASA to the rescue

Finally, Boeing's salvation comes from one man, Bill Nelson. The head of NASA holds the future of the Starliner program in his hands. If he decides to keep Boeing as a launch company, just like SpaceX, which has been making regular flights since 2020, then the Starliner program will be able to continue over time. If, on the contrary, Bill Nelson decides that enough is enough, Starliner will sink, causing very heavy financial losses for Boeing.

Today, no one really knows what is going on in Bill Nelson's head or what is being said in meetings with his advisors. Some rumors assure that Boeing is about to throw in the towel. Others are already mentioning the August 2025 flight, still scheduled, with a Starliner capsule at the heart of the project.

This mission seems very far away, yet the 4 astronauts who will fly in the heart of next summer are already training. They too are hanging on Bill Nelson's every word. A single little sentence could shatter their lifelong dream of going into space.

Of the 4 astronauts selected by Boeing for this flight “Starliner 01” Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk will experience his first moments in space. This former fighter pilot became an astronaut in 2017. Canadian, he only has one or two flight windows in his career. Missing the first (and perhaps only) one that comes his way would be a real tragedy.

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