SpaceX will rescue the astronauts on the ISS, further embarrassing for Boeing.

TPO - Elon Musk's SpaceX will use its spacecraft to bring astronauts stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) back home next year. This represents a new setback for rival Boeing and raises questions about how NASA will staff its orbital laboratories in the future.

A rocket launched Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, carrying two astronauts, to the ISS from Cape Canaveral Space Force Base, Florida, on June 5. (Photo: Reuters)

Boeing's malfunctioning Starliner spacecraft will return to Earth in early September without any crew, the US space agency said in a press conference on August 24.

According to contingency plans, NASA astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams will travel aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft on a six-month mission, codenamed Crew-9, scheduled to begin in late September. They will return to Earth in February of next year, several months later than originally planned.

"The decision to keep Butch and Suni on the International Space Station and bring the Boeing Starliner back without any crew members demonstrates a commitment to safety," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told reporters, recalling the agency's previous loss of two space shuttle crews.

Nelson said Starliner would once again be launched with a crew.

This is another major blow to the Starliner program. In 2019, Boeing's unmanned test flight to the ISS failed to reach its target as planned. Years of delays and setbacks cost the company an additional $1.6 billion.

Therefore, Boeing was about seven years behind schedule in sending its first crewed astronauts into orbit with the Starliner, while its rival SpaceX regularly sent NASA astronauts aboard its Crew Dragon spacecraft. Now, Boeing has once again lost face by allowing a competitor to bring astronauts back to Earth, a task that the Starliner should have been responsible for.

Astronauts Wilmore and Williams boarded the ISS on Boeing's CST-100 Starliner test flight on June 6th, initially expected to stay for only about a week, but ultimately they spent eight months in orbit.

Boeing is facing questions about the future of its collaboration with NASA. The Starliner crewed flight to the ISS is part of a crucial testing phase to determine whether the company's spacecraft can regularly transport people to and from the ISS.

Like billionaire Musk's SpaceX, Boeing has signed a contract with NASA to regularly send crewed missions to the ISS until the station is scheduled to cease operations in 2030.

Binh Giang

According to Bloomberg

Source: https://tienphong.vn/spacex-se-giai-cuu-cac-phi-hanh-gia-tren-iss-boeing-them-mat-mat-post1666791.tpo