Saturday, Aug. 24, NASA is set to decide whether Boeing’s new capsule is safe enough to bring two astronauts who have been stranded at the International Space Station (ISS) since June home. Once Saturday’s meeting between NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and other top agency officials is over, an announcement on the decision is expected from Houston.
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In June 2024, Boeing’s Starliner launched astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the ISS. The test flight quickly encountered thruster failures and helium leaks so serious that NASA kept the capsule parked at the station as engineers debated what to do.
SpaceX could go get the astronauts, but that would keep them at the station until February 2025. They were supposed to return after only about a week at the ISS.
If NASA decides SpaceX is the way to go, the Starliner would return to Earth empty in September. If NASA decides Starliner is safe, they would fly home much sooner. That trip would likely happen by the end of September 2024.
