SpaceX may be forced to rescue two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station after their Boeing Starliner suffered helium leaks.
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams flew into space on the Starliner on June 5 and were only supposed to stay on the ISS for nine days – but problems with their ship have left the return date up in the air, and NASA is now making frantic efforts to to help solve the problem.
Boeing rival SpaceX could eventually be tapped to eventually bring them home aboard the Crew Dragon spaceship.
The outcome would be a major blow to troubled aerospace giant Boeing, which has spent some $1.5 billion in cost overruns — on top of its original $4.5 billion contract with NASA — on Starliner’s hopes a second option to reach the ISS.
Although NASA and Boeing officials have reiterated that the current problems aboard the Starliner do not indicate a need for SpaceX to lend a hand, the Crew Dragon is up to the task.
The SpaceX ship, which recently carried four astronauts to the ISS in March, can carry two to four passengers at a time, but can also carry additional occupants in an emergency.
As of 2020, SpaceX was the only commercial company cleared to transport astronauts and cargo to the space station.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment on Tuesday.
Michael Lembeck, an associate professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who was an adviser to Boeing’s aerospace division from 2009 to 2014, told The Post that the Starliner will likely still be Wilmore and Williams’ ride to Earth are.
“Right now I would say the need for SpaceX to step up is very low,” Lembeck said. “We would have to see a major problem develop in the coming days to warrant that response.”
Lembeck and Katsuo Kurabayashi, a professor of aerospace engineering at New York University, told The Post that NASA most likely postponed the return trip home so they could spend more time studying the spacecraft while it is still attached to the ISS, to to find out more about what happened. is wrong and how to avoid it for his next mission.
While the capsule will return to Earth with the astronauts, the service module — which stores the engines, fuel and helium tanks — will not, Lembeck explained.
“With plenty of helium gas remaining, it is prudent for teams to take sufficient time to ensure Starliner is fully prepared and certified for the return journey,” Kurabayashi added.
The NYU professor noted that the situation remains fluid and that NASA’s next updates will be an indicator of how the issue has evolved.
“If by chance they start talking about a rescue mission, that would indicate that some serious, potentially life-threatening hardware flaws have been found on Sarliner,” Kurabayashi said.
The last time a NASA astronaut needed help returning to Earth was in 2022, when the Russian Soyuz capsule with American Frank Rubio on board suffered a leak.
While NASA had considered asking SpaceX for help, Rubio eventually returned aboard an empty Soyuz capsule that Russia had launched.
The incident extended Rubio’s six-month mission to one that lasted more than a year, or 371 days, a record duration for an American in space.