Skip to main content

As Starliner Returns Without Sunita Williams, Boeing Faces $1 Billion Loss

NASA, on Saturday, announced that Boeing's Starliner capsule will return empty from the International Space Station (ISS), citing ongoing propulsion system problems. This latest development adds to Boeing's woes, with estimated losses in the Starliner program exceeding $1 billion, reported CNBC.

Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams will now return on Elon Musk's SpaceX's Crew-9 vehicle in February 2025, after a six-month extended stay on the ISS. The original nine-day test flight was delayed due to issues with Starliner's thrusters.

A "technical disagreement" between NASA and Boeing led to the decision, with NASA prioritising safety and choosing SpaceX for the return mission.

"Boeing has worked very hard with NASA to get the necessary data to make this decision," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said on Saturday. "We want to further understand the root causes and understand the design improvements so that the Boeing Starliner will serve as an important part of our assured crew access to the ISS." Mr Nelson stressed that test flights like the Starliner mission are "neither safe, nor routine."

Following the decision, NASA will conduct an additional phase of its Flight Readiness Review to determine the optimal time to bring the empty Starliner capsule back to Earth. 

Despite Boeing's assurances that Starliner was safe for emergency crew return, NASA disagreed. Mr Nelson expressed support for Boeing, stating he was "100% certain" that Starliner would launch with a crew again in the future. Boeing also reaffirmed its commitment to safety, saying it would execute the mission as determined by NASA and prepare for a safe uncrewed return. 

In a statement on X, Boeing said, "We continue to focus, first and foremost, on the safety of the crew and spacecraft. We are executing the mission as determined by NASA, and we are preparing the spacecraft for a safe and successful uncrewed return."

Ken Bowersox, NASA associate administrator, said NASA officials were unanimous in their decision to choose SpaceX to bring the crew home. Meanwhile, SpaceX will bring two astronauts along on its Crew-9 vehicle - instead of the four who were originally planned to go - to make room for Wilmore and Williams.

Boeing's Starliner capsule, 'Calypso', has been docked at the International Space Station since June, with its mission extended indefinitely due to ongoing thruster failures. The Starliner crew flight test, intended to be a final milestone for Boeing, has instead become a major setback. 



from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/Uqk7aRz
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PM Modi To Reschedule 3-Nation Europe Visit As Tensions With Pakistan Soar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has put his three-nation Europe visit on hold as tensions between India and Pakistan have surged in the wake of the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam in which 26 civilians were killed by Pak-linked terrorists in a religiously-motivated terror attack. India responded on Wednesday with precision missile strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. PM Modi, who is closely-monitoring the situation, has reportedly asked for his visit to Croatia, Norway, and the Netherlands, which was due next week, to be rescheduled. As per his original schedule Prime Minister Modi was to commence his official visit to the three nations on May 13. He was also going to participate in the India-Nordic Summit in Oslo on May 15 and 16. All three countries have been informed about the change in PM Modi's schedule. They have also been appraised about the current situation between India and Pakistan. Last month too, on the day of the Pahalga...
Post a Comment
Read more

Delhi to Get More EV Charging, Battery Swapping Stations as Cab Aggregators Increase E-Bikes

The NDMC is planning to increase the number of EV charging stations in Lutyens' Delhi and even provide battery swapping facilities at some of these points, a senior official said on Wednesday. With Delhi being among the most polluted capitals in the world, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has been making a push for electric vehicles to nudge residents to opt for cleaner vehicle options. There are around 100 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across the national capital at present and this would be the first time that some of them would have battery swapping facilities, which is quite prominent in Western countries, he said. The official said the aim is to provide easy accessibility to charging stations and to save time by providing swapping facilities. This will give a major push to EVs in the city. Various PSUs, including the Rajasthan Electronics and Instruments Limited (REIL) and the Kerala State Electronics Development Corporation Limited (KELTRON), have approac...
Post a Comment
Read more

After Nitish Kumar's 'Praise', BJP Says Doors Closed For Him

The opposition BJP in Bihar on Thursday said that its doors were "closed" for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who dumped the saffron party a year ago, stripping it of power in the state. State BJP President Samrat Choudhary made the averment to this effect in reply to queries from journalists about the Janata Dal United leader's address to the convocation ceremony of Mahatma Gandhi Central University at Motihari. Speaking in the presence of President Droupadi Murmu and Governor Rajendra Arlekar, Mr Kumar had freely spoken of the tussle he had with the then Congress government at the Centre for getting a university approved for Motihari, where Mahatma Gandhi had launched the Champaran Satyagraha. Without mentioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi by name, Mr Kumar acknowledged that the project saw the light of the day only after a change of guard "in 2014" as the UPA government "initially refused and after much persuasion agreed in principle but did not move for...
Post a Comment
Read more