NASA has chosen Elon Musk’s SpaceX program to rescue astronauts stranded in space.
The move is a humiliating blow for aerospace giant Boeing, whose Starliner spacecraft carried Commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore and pilot Sunita “Suni” Williams to the International Space Station (ISS).
Both experienced pilots have been stationed at the ISS since late June, when they arrived for what was supposed to be a week-long test flight.
The pair will now have to wait until next year for SpaceX to pick them up, by which time they will have spent eight months in space.
Its empty Starliner capsule is scheduled to undock early next month and attempt to return on autopilot and land in the New Mexico desert.
NASA has chosen Elon Musk’s SpaceX to rescue two pilots trapped on the International Space Station next year
Commander Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore and pilot Sunita ‘Suni’ Williams have been stranded on the ISS since June due to technical problems with Boeing’s Starliner.
The troubled Starliner (docked to the ISS’s Harmony module) will attempt to return on autopilot and land in the New Mexico desert next month.
Their journey to the space station was marred by thruster failures and helium leaks as the damaged capsule ultimately left the pilots stranded while engineers deliberated how to manage their return.
Former military test pilots Mr Wilmore, 61, and Ms Williams, 58, were the first crew members to use the Starliner when it departed for the ISS on June 5.
They will now have to wait for SpaceX’s routine flight, which is scheduled to launch in late September.
It will carry two astronauts instead of the usual two for a normal six-month stay on the ISS.
There is currently one SpaceX capsule docked at the space station, but it is reserved for four other residents who have been there since March and are scheduled to return in September, after having extended their stay by a month due to problems with the Starliner.
Another capsule, the Russian Soyuz, has room for three astronauts, two of whom are Russians finishing a year on the ISS.
The former military test pilots said they have “no complaints” and enjoy helping with space station work.
Mr. Wilmore and Ms. Williams board the International Space Station after docking with the Boeing Starliner on June 6.
Veteran pilots said they were confident in the propellant tests underway.
During their only orbital news conference last month, the couple said they had no complaints and enjoyed helping with space station work.
The problematic capsule is a new blow for Boeing, which has also faced multiple technical problems in its aeronautical sector.
Scrutiny over its manufacturing processes increased following the crash of two 737 MAX planes: Lion Air Flight 610 in 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in early 2019.
The company experienced manufacturing delays after discovering improperly drilled holes in the rear pressure bulkheads of certain aircraft last year.
Concerns were further heightened after an emergency door exploded on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 in January. The door systems were initially manufactured by Spirit AeroSystems.
In April, Boeing also faced accusations from a whistleblower engineer who claimed it was cutting corners in the manufacturing of its 777 and 787 jets. The company denied allegations that it was failing to fill small gaps in the fuselage that could cause a plane to break up in the air.
NASA maintains its decision to delay the return of pilots until next year
Boeing has also faced problems in its aerospace sector, including delays in manufacturing of the 737 MAX aircraft due to design flaws.
NASA bosses have stuck to their decision to delay the return of astronauts until next year.
“By its nature, a test flight is neither safe nor routine,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “So the decision … is a compromise for safety.”
“It wasn’t an easy decision, but it was absolutely the right one,” added NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free.
Nelson insisted, however, that NASA has not abandoned Boeing and said he is “100%” confident that Starliner will fly again.
MailOnline has contacted Boeing for comment.