A Timeline of the Astronauts Stuck in Space
NASA and Boeing have avoided the terms “stuck” and “stranded,” but either way, two astronauts are still in space long after they planned to be.
Sunita “Suni” Williams, the mission’s pilot, and Barry “Butch” Wilmore, the mission’s commander, left for the International Space Station in Starliner on June 5. The mission, whose goal is to make sure that people can safely fly to the ISS in Starliner, was intended to last a week, but now they are expected to return home in February. Williams and Wilmore are the first two astronauts sent into space by Boeing, which has a $4.2 billion contract with NASA as part of a move to privatize space flight in the U.S.
The process leading up to the Boeing voyage met repeated technical issues, and more issues during its historic test mission have left the company’s first-ever crew in space, where they are expected to be until at least February. While it does seem like the purpose of a test run is to find those issues, one would hope that they could also be resolved.
It’s the latest blow to the reputation of Boeing, long considered the gold standard in American manufacturing, following two deadly 737 Max 8 airplane crashes and several recent safety incidents. The crashes, which took place in 2018 and 2019, killed 346 people. Then, in January, a 737 Max 9 had to make an emergency landing when a door plug flew off. There were no fatalities, but a few minor injuries were reported.
Williams and Whitmore are expected to return to earth in February on a spacecraft made by SpaceX, Elon Musk’s company. SpaceX is also working with NASA on travel to the ISS. The company has had its own issues. For example, in July, its Falcon 9 rocket failed to launch. The rocket is used to carry satellites. In terms of its work with NASA, their Dragon spacecraft launched from the Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday with the destination of earth’s radiation belts. They hope to complete the first commercial spacewalk on this trip.
Sept. 16, 2014: Boeing wins a contract with NASA
NASA gives Boeing a $4.2 billion contract to send astronauts to — and importantly, from — the International Space Station. Elon Musk’s SpaceX receives a $2.6 billion contract as well with the same goals. One intention of the project was to end American reliance on Russia for space travel by 2017; astronauts have flown to the ISS on Russian spacecraft since 2011. Each contractor was expected to complete two to six missions with people aboard.
“From day one, the Obama Administration made clear that the greatest nation on Earth should not be dependent on other nations to get into space,” said Charlie Bolden, who was a NASA administrator at the time.
These contracts marked a decision to privatize voyages to the ISS. “Turning over low-Earth orbit transportation to private industry will also allow NASA to focus on an even more ambitious mission — sending humans to Mars,” Bolden said.
May 2018: NASA has concerns about Starliner
A report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office finds that certification for Boeing’s spacecraft could be delayed to 2020. NASA tells the GAO that they have concerns about Starliner’s parachute system.
June 2018: Starliner finds a problem during a launch test
Boeing finds an “anomaly” during a test of the Starliner’s launch abort system, which leads to a propellant leak. The launch abort system is an important protection for emergencies during liftoff, allowing the spacecraft to pull away from the rocket quickly.
“We are confident we found the cause and are moving forward with corrective action. Flight safety and risk mitigation are why we conduct such rigorous testing, and anomalies are a natural part of any test program,” Boeing said in a statement.
Dec. 20, 2019: Starliner fails its flight test
Starliner fails a flight test to reach the ISS when it does not enter the correct orbit, meaning it could not complete its intended task of docking at the ISS. No people were on board. NASA said it was likely that the spacecraft’s mission elapse timing system was off.
“There’s probably an opportunity to practice spacecraft guidance and control, just not at the same proximity to the station that we previously thought,” Boeing told reporters.
August 4, 2021: Starliner’s mission is postponed
Boeing and NASA attempt to launch Starliner, but they cancel the mission due to valve issues in the propulsion system. Starliner returns to the factory for “deeper-level troubleshooting.”
May 25, 2022: Starliner has a “nail biting” flight test
Starliner safely returns from its second orbital flight test. When it came time to dock at the ISS, the process was “nail biting,” according to Mark Nappi, then Boeing’s Starliner program manager. There were issues with software, sensors, and docking components.
There were also issues with thrusters, which maneuver the spacecraft. Engineers found “six or seven” possible causes for these issues.
“Of course this is a test flight, and as those that probably watched throughout the day, you saw that we’re learning along the way, and it’s very exciting,” said Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager.
Sept. 21, 2022: Astronauts travel to the ISS
American astronaut Frank Rubio travels to the ISS with two Russian cosmonauts for a six-month mission. They travel on the Russian spacecraft Soyuz MS-22.
Dec. 14, 2022: The spacecraft is damaged
Soyuz is damaged, possibly by space junk, and has a coolant leak, meaning Rubio can’t return to earth yet.
Sept. 27, 2023: Rubio sets a new record
Astronaut Frank Rubio finally comes back to earth, becoming the American who has spent the most consecutive time in space at 371 days. They traveled on a different Soyuz model, a Soyuz MS-23.
Rubio told NPR that “once you got over the initial shock and surprise, you just kind of focused on making the best of it and making sure that the mission was accomplished.”
June 5, 2024: Starliner’s first crew takes flight
Williams and Wilmore launch into space from Cape Canaveral, Florida, for what they think will be a week. They are Starliner’s first crew and Boeing’s first time sending astronauts into space.
Before they even left, their capsule had a helium leak in its propulsion system, which NASA and Boeing decided was isolated. The vessel had four more leaks during flight.
Williams and Wilmore are both retired from the Navy, which could leave the two uniquely positioned to answer the important question: which is scarier, the ocean or outer space?
June 6, 2024: NASA and Boeing discover more problems
After about 26 hours, Starliner docks at the ISS. The issues with helium leaks and Starliner’s reaction control thrusters persist. As many as five thrusters went offline during the voyage. Surprisingly, the issues with the thrusters are similar to those in the May 2022 test flight. “We don’t understand quite why they’re happening,” Stich said.
July 10, 2024: The astronauts keep a happy appearance
Williams and Wilmore give a press conference from space. “We are having a great time here on ISS,” Williams said. “Butch and I have been up here before and it feels like coming home. So yeah, it’s great to be here.”
While at the ISS, they are helping with repairs and experiments.
June 14, 2024: Williams and Wilmore to stay in space
NASA and Boeing announce that they will postpone Starliner’s return. They needed the time to “to finalize departure planning and operations,” according to NASA.
“We have an incredible opportunity to spend more time at station and perform more tests which provides invaluable data unique to our position,” said Nappi, who is now Boeing vice president and commercial crew program manager. “We have plenty of margin and time on station to maximize the opportunity for all partners to learn, including our crew.”
June 18, 2024: Williams and Wilmore homecoming is, once again, postponed
NASA postpones Starliner’s return to earth again, planning for June 26. This will give NASA and Boeing more time to look into the thruster malfunctions and helium leaks, they say.
“We’re taking a little extra time to review all the data and also learn as much as we can while we have the service module in orbit,” Stich said. He added that Williams and Wilmore “love Starliner, and they’re so happy to be a part of the mission.”
July 24, 2024: Boeing reports major losses
In its quarterly earnings report, Boeing says it has lost $125 million on the Starliner program. This brings the total losses on the program to $1.6 billion since 2016.
Aug. 24, 2024: Boeing extends the astronauts’ mission again
Boeing announces that Williams and Wilmore will have to stay on the ISS until February. The company plans to bring the astronauts back on a SpaceX aircraft.
“The decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and bring Boeing’s Starliner home uncrewed is the result of our commitment to safety: our core value and our North Star,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement.
Aug. 31, 2024: Wilmore detects a strange noise
Wilmore hears a “strange noise” from a speaker in Starliner. “I don’t know what’s making it,” he said. Mission control describes the noise as “pulsing.”
“The feedback from the speaker was the result of an audio configuration between the space station and Starliner,” NASA said later in a statement.
“There are several noises I’d prefer not to hear inside my spaceship, including this one that Boeing Starliner is now making,” former astronaut Chris Hadfield posted on X.
Sept. 7, 2024: Starliner returns to earth unmanned
The Starliner spacecraft returns to earth without its crew, landing at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico. Williams and Wilmore stayed at the ISS reportedly out of safety concerns due to the thruster problems.
Stich said that Williams and Wilmore probably could have come home. “It would have been a safe, successful landing with the crew on board,” he said.
“I think we made the right decision not to have Butch and Suni on board,” Stich clarified. “All of us feel happy about the successful landing. But then there’s a piece of us, all of us, that we wish it would have been the way we had planned it.”
“I don’t think that could have gone better,” Williams said about the landing, from space.
