NASA Asks SpaceX to Delay Next Flight, May Need to Save Boeing Crew

The crew of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft has been aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for two months. Rumors of a possible rescue have been swirling, putting pressure on NASA. In the meantime, the space agency has just delayed the next rotation of astronauts.

Crew-9 mission delayed. The next launch of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft was originally scheduled for August 18. However, NASA has adjusted the launch date to “no earlier than Tuesday, September 24” for greater “operational flexibility.”

According to a NASA statement, “this adjustment provides additional time for mission managers to finalize planning for the return of the agency’s Boeing crew flight test.”

All attention is on Starliner. Boeing and NASA engineers are investigating the failure of five maneuvering engines that prevented the company’s Starliner spacecraft from docking with the ISS for the first time on June 6.

Boeing has said the return of the two crew members, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, is safe. Its engineers have conducted extensive ground tests and launched the spacecraft into orbit, but NASA has not yet made a decision on whether to bring back its astronauts.

A little context. Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft lifted off June 5 on its final test mission before beginning commercial flights to low Earth orbit.

Wilmore and Williams, the first members of the Starliner crew, arrived at the ISS the next day for a planned stay of eight to 10 days.

They remain without a return date, however, as engineers investigate five small helium leaks on the spacecraft and the failure of five of the 28 thrusters in the reaction control system (one of which could not be recovered).

What about SpaceX’s Crew Dragon? Rumor has it that there is a 50% chance that the Starliner crew will return home on another ship. That would mean making room for them on a Crew Dragon, perhaps by sacrificing two seats on the upcoming Crew-9 mission.

As Ars Technica According to reports, the reason for this potential five-and-a-half-week delay could be related to the Starliner’s flight software. Unlike the 2022 Starliner that flew to the ISS, the current Starliner’s flight software is not capable of autonomously performing the undocking and atmospheric reentry maneuver. Therefore, flying the Starliner without a crew would require a major software upgrade.

Other reasons for the delay. The Crew-9 mission will be SpaceX’s first manned launch from Space Force Station SLC-40. To accomplish this, engineers have made necessary upgrades to the launch tower, including emergency systems and new infrastructure.

NASA moved the mission from the Kennedy Space Center’s LC-39A pad “so as not to conflict with the pad’s preparations for NASA’s Europa Clipper mission, which begins next September.”

Meanwhile, Russia is preparing for its next rotation of astronauts aboard the ISS, with a Soyuz mission scheduled for September. That could be a contributing factor to the extended delay of the Crew-9 mission.

This article was written by Matias S. Zavia and originally published in Spanish on Xataka.

Image | NASA

Related | NASA Just Paid $267,000 to SpaceX to Develop a Contingency Plan to Rescue Astronauts from the ISS

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NASA Asks SpaceX to Delay Next Flight, May Need to Save Boeing Crew

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