NASA Turns to Elon Musk for Help to Bring Astronauts Back After Boeing's Starliner Malfunctions

Two NASA astronauts, Commander Barry Butch Wilmore, and Pilot Sunita Williams, traveled to the International Space Station on June 5, 2024, in a Boeing spacecraft called the Starliner. However, the spacecraft malfunctioned, and NASA had to turn to Elon Musk's SpaceX to bring them home. As a result, what was supposed to be an eight-day mission was extended until February 2025.

After the astronauts were sent to the International Space Station, the spacecraft encountered problems with helium leaks and thrusters within 24 hours, prompting NASA to bring it back without the Wilmore and Williams on board, as reported by The Telegraph . Boeing’s Starliner Chief Mark Nappi said in an email following NASA’s announcement, "I know this is not the decision we had hoped for, but we stood ready to carry out the actions necessary to support NASA’s decision. The focus remained first and foremost on ensuring the safety of the crew and spacecraft."

NASA's decision underscored its increasing reliance on SpaceX, which had been successfully transporting astronauts for four years. Knewz.com noted that in October 2021, NASA signed a $2.9 billion deal with SpaceX to use its Starship rocket to land astronauts on the moon for the first time in over 50 years.

SpaceX’s future projects, including the Starship rocket, were crucial for NASA's plans, including moon missions. However, SpaceX faced issues as the US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) investigated allegations that it forced workers to sign severance agreements.

On the other hand, not everyone was happy with NASA's decision and some Boeing employees criticized it. One of them told The New York Post , "We had so many embarrassments lately; we were under a microscope. This just made it, like, 100 times worse. We hated SpaceX. We talked badly about them all the time, and now they were bailing us out." Another employee added, "We believed that Starliner could bring them home safely, but NASA didn’t want to take any chances. They had their own PR issues and didn’t need two dead astronauts. But we didn’t think there would be dead astronauts. We’d never have recommended using us if we thought it would be unsafe."

Bill Nelson, NASA’s administrator, told The Atlantic , "The decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and bring the Boeing Starliner home uncrewed was a result of a commitment to safety."

Boeing had spent an additional $1.5 billion on top of the original $4.5 billion NASA contract, with an aim to develop Starliner as a second option for sending astronauts to the ISS alongside SpaceX’s Crew Dragon. However, the company faced safety issues, including a door panel falling off an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet due to missing bolts. To make matters worse, 20 whistleblowers raised concerns about safety and quality at Boeing.

Despite extensive testing, engineers still couldn't understand why Starliner’s thrusters were failing. Boeing's major concern was that a further delay in fixing the Starliner would mean that it could not play a role in space missions before the ISS is decommissioned in 2030.