Florida, United States (AP) — The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) decided this Saturday that it is too risky to bring two astronauts back to Earth in Boeing’s new capsule, so they will have to wait until SpaceX picks them up next year.
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The experienced pilots have been stranded at the International Space Station (ISS) since early June. A series of malfunctions in the thrusters and helium leaks in the new capsule ruined their trip to the ISS, and they ended up in a holding pattern while engineers conducted tests and debated what to do about the return trip.
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After almost three months, the decision was finally made by the top executives of NASA. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will return in February, on a SpaceX spacecraft. Their empty Starliner capsule will detach in early September and attempt to return on autopilot to land in the New Mexico desert.
As Starliner test pilots, the couple should have overseen this final and critical stage of the journey.
"By nature, a test flight is neither safe nor routine," said Bill Nelson, administrator of NASA. "So the decision... is a commitment to safety."
"It hasn't been an easy decision, but it is absolutely the right one," added Jim Free, associate administrator of NASA.
The decision represents a tough blow for Boeing and adds to the safety concerns plaguing the company in its aeronautical division. Boeing was counting on the first manned flight of the Starliner to revive the troubled program after years of delays and cost overruns. The company had insisted that the Starliner was safe based on all recent propulsion tests conducted in space and on Earth.
Boeing did not participate in the NASA press conference held on Saturday, but released a statement: "Boeing continues to focus, first and foremost, on the safety of the crew and the spacecraft. We conduct missions as determined by NASA and are preparing the spacecraft for a safe and successful unmanned return."