SpaceX may be forced to rescue two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station after their Boeing Starliner suffered a serious helium leak.
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams launched into space aboard Starliner on June 5 and were only scheduled to stay on the ISS for nine days, but due to problems with the spacecraft, their return date remains uncertain and NASA is currently working hard to resolve the issue.
Boeing’s rival SpaceX could eventually be tasked with returning them to Earth with its Crew Dragon spacecraft.
The outcome would be a major blow to troubled aerospace giant Boeing, which had hoped to make Starliner a second option for reaching the ISS and had incurred roughly $1.5 billion in cost overruns beyond its original $4.5 billion contract with NASA.
NASA and Boeing officials have repeatedly said Starliner’s current problems do not indicate it needs SpaceX’s assistance, but that Crew Dragon is capable of fulfilling the mission.
SpaceX’s spacecraft, which transported four astronauts to the ISS in March, can carry two to four passengers at a time but can also take on additional passengers in an emergency.
Since 2020, SpaceX has served as the only private company authorized to transport astronauts and cargo to the space station.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to The Washington Post’s request for comment on Tuesday.
Michael Lembeck, an associate professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who served as a consultant to Boeing’s spaceflight division from 2009 to 2014, told The Washington Post that Starliner remains a strong possibility for Wilmore and Williams to return to Earth.
“At this point, I would say that it is highly unlikely that SpaceX would need to take any action,” Lembeck said. “Unless something significant happens in the next few days, action would not be justified.”
Lembeck and Katsuo Kurabayashi, a professor of aerospace engineering at New York University, told The Washington Post that NASA’s delay in returning was likely to allow it more time to study the spacecraft while it’s still attached to the ISS to learn more about what went wrong and how to avoid it on the next mission.
Lembeck explained that the capsule carrying the astronauts will return to Earth, but the service module, which houses the engines, fuel and helium tanks, will not.
“With plenty of helium gas remaining, it would be prudent for the team to allow ample time to ensure Starliner is fully prepared and certified for the return journey,” Kurabayashi added.
The NYU professor noted that the situation remains fluid and the next update from NASA will provide an indication of how the issue progresses.
“If by chance talk of a rescue mission starts emerging, it would mean that a serious, potentially life-threatening hardware defect has been found on the Saliner,” Kurabayashi said.
The last time a NASA astronaut needed help returning to Earth was in 2022, when the Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying American Frank Rubio developed a leak.
NASA considered asking SpaceX for help, but Rubio ultimately returned aboard an empty Russian Soyuz spacecraft.
The accident extended Rubio’s six-month mission to more than a year, or 371 days, a new record for an American in space.