NASA is scrambling to bring home two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station for over seven months after Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft failed spectacularly, leaving them stuck in orbit.
Boeing’s Starliner Fiasco Leaves Astronauts Stranded
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner on June 5, 2024, only to discover helium leaks and propulsion system failures after docking at the space station. With their return vehicle too unsafe to fly, NASA was forced to send Starliner back to Earth empty in September, leaving Wilmore and Williams effectively marooned on the ISS.
SpaceX Steps In To Save The Day
With Boeing unable to fix the problem, NASA has now turned to Elon Musk’s SpaceX to bring the astronauts home. A previously flown Dragon spacecraft will launch on March 12, carrying Crew-10 to the ISS. After a brief handover period, Wilmore and Williams will finally return to Earth on Dragon—alongside Crew-9 astronauts Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.
NASA had initially planned to leave the astronauts stranded until February 2025, but thanks to SpaceX’s efficiency, the timeline has been moved up significantly.
NASA Praises SpaceX’s Reliability
NASA officials couldn’t hide their relief, emphasizing how SpaceX’s reliability and flexibility have saved the mission.
“Human spaceflight is full of unexpected challenges,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. “We greatly benefit from SpaceX’s commercial efforts and their proactive approach in having another spacecraft ready for us to assess and use.”
Translation: Thank God for SpaceX, because Boeing sure isn’t cutting it.
The Bottom Line: SpaceX Delivers, Boeing Embarrasses Itself
This debacle is another humiliating failure for Boeing, which has now twice botched its Starliner missions, leaving NASA increasingly dependent on Elon Musk’s SpaceX to ensure American astronauts actually make it back home.
Once again, Musk’s company is doing what Boeing couldn’t—keeping American space travel alive.
