NASA acknowledges it cannot quantify risk of Starliner propulsion issues

Enlarge / Artist’s illustration of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft firing four of its orbital maneuvering engines, as it will during the deorbit burn at the end of the mission. (credit: Boeing)

With no consensus on the safety of the Starliner crew capsule, NASA officials said Wednesday they need another week or two before deciding whether to bring two astronauts back to Earth on Boeing’s spacecraft or extend their stay on the International Space Station until next year.

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, stricken by suspect thrusters and helium leaks, is taking up a valuable parking spot at the space station. It needs to depart the orbiting research complex, with or without its two-person crew, before the launch of SpaceX’s next Dragon crew mission to the station, scheduled for September 24.

“We can juggle things and make things work if we need to extend, but it’s getting a lot harder,” said Ken Bowersox, associate administrator of NASA’s spaceflight operations directorate. “With the consumables we’re using, with the need for the use of the ports for cargo missions, those types of things, we’re reaching a point where that last week in August, we really should be making a call, if not sooner.”