A decision over the fate of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner and its crew, Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams, now appears to be imminent. NASA has confirmed that the picture will become much clearer on August 24, 2024.
In an update on August 22, 2024, NASA explained that engineering and spaceflight specialists from Boeing and the space agency were continuing to analyze data, ahead of a decision “this week on the path forward for the Starliner spacecraft’s return from the International Space Station”.
The decision on August 24, 2024, will come following the conclusion of a flight readiness review, “where any formal dissents are presented and reconciled”.
In a statement, NASA said: “Ahead of the agency-level review, NASA and Boeing are working to finalize and present flight rationale to various teams across the community and to the program control board. Engineering teams have been working to evaluate a new model that represents the thruster mechanics and is designed to more accurately predict performance during the return phase of flight.”
NASA added: “This data could help teams better understand system redundancy from undock to service module separation. Ongoing efforts to complete the new modelling, characterize spacecraft performance data, refine integrated risk assessments, and determine community recommendations will fold into the agency-level review.”
One alternative plan is for astronauts Wilmore and Willians to hitch a ride onboard a SpaceX capsule, with the Starliner returning to Earth unmanned.
SpaceX’s Dragon Crew-9 was itself delayed on August 6, 2024, with a new launch date set for September 2024, which could see two seats left free for the Starliner crew.
Issues with Starliner’s thrusters have meant that the crew’s initial plan to spend around a week on the space station had to be extended.
NASA’s Steve Stich has previously suggested that there had been some disagreements between the space agency and Boeing about the path forward.