By: Julia Valencia

People Editor 

What was meant to be a routine International Space Station (ISS) round trip, predicted to last only a little over a week, took an unprecedented turn for astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been stuck at the ISS for the last three months. 

The Boeing Starliner that carried Wilmore and Williams to space on Jun. 5 began experiencing issues as they approached their destination, the ISS. According to Boeing Co, the aerospace company responsible for creating the ship, “Five of Starliner’s reaction control system thrusters — which are used to move the capsule around in orbit — malfunctioned as it was approaching the International Space Station. Helium has also been leaking in the spacecraft’s propulsion system.” 

The ship’s main computer selected five of the twenty-eight thrusters to turn off after identifying that they were faulty due to a detected “degraded thrust” in the machines. Boeing engineers addressed the helium leak before the takeoff and confirmed it as a minor issue. However, it began to leak more than anticipated. The engineers at Boeing attributed the leakage to a series of broken down seals on the Starliner caused by the long exposure to propellant vapor. 

The Starliner and its passengers were doing well at the time of landing at the ISS but on Sep. 6, the ship returned back to Earth carrying no passengers. When asked why the ship returned empty, the manager of NASA’s commercial crew program, Steve Stich, remarked, “There was just too much uncertainty in the prediction of the thrusters. If we had a model, [if] we had a way to accurately predict what the thrusters would do for the undock and all the way through the de-orbit burn, through the separation sequence, I think we would have taken a different course of action.” 

Even though Wilmore and Williams are safe and sound on the ISS, their unintentional, prolonged stay just got a little bit longer. The astronauts’ visit in space now extends until Feb. of 2025. They will catch a ride home with SpaceX’s Crew-9 who cut their ships’ staff from four to two so that they will be able to accommodate the Starliner hitchhikers. 

The factors that led to NASA’s decision to send the astronauts back with a SpaceX vessel rather than a Boeing one boils down to what is best for the overall well-being of the crew. Currently, that option is SpaceX. Even though the two companies are rivals in the aerospace industry, Boeing commented, “We continue to focus, first and foremost, on the safety of the crew and spacecraft.” 

Wilmore and Willaims will remain on the ISS for the foreseeable future, arriving back home to Earth just in time for the beginning of Spring, 2025. 

(Sources: BBC, CNN, NBC, NY Times)