It would be comical if it were not so nerve-wracking; two American astronauts may be stuck in outer space orbit much longer than they anticipated after the Boeing-manufactured Starliner capsule they rode into orbit on has malfunctioned.
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams rocketed up to the International Space Station inside the Starliner on June 5. Once there, the craft’s thrusters stopped working, and its helium tanks leaked. As of this writing, the Starliner is stuck docked to the ISS and it’s unclear how the two Americans will get back to Earth. They were only supposed to stay there for a few weeks.
While Boeing is trying to put a brave face on the possibility of repairing the Starliner to give the astronauts a ride home, that possibility is looking more remote. Unfortunately, so is the backup plan. Billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX private company has made a competing space capsule called the Crew Dragon, and there has been discussion of Wilmore and Williams hitching a ride back down on Crew Dragon when it makes its rendezvous with the ISS in February of 2025.
But there’s a catch. The space suits they’re wearing are made to work with the Starliner craft, while SpaceX astronauts wear suits designed to be compatible with Crew Dragon. This is a new chapter in space exploration, as until recently, NASA and Boeing have worked together on common designs. Musk’s private entrance into the field introduces the variable of proprietary product design, leading to compatibility problems.
NASA would not give details on the incompatibility, and would not say whether it was severe enough to prevent the astronauts from riding down on Crew Dragon if necessary. The agency says they will soon make a decision about whether to send the crippled Starliner back to Earth without its crew. If that happens, and if the spacesuits prove incompatible with Crew Dragon, it is not clear when or how Williams and Wilmore will get back to the ground.
