NASA May Be Forced to Send Boeing's Busted Spacecraft Back Empty

It would be a major vote of no confidence.

Empty Nester

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have been stranded in space since arriving at the International Space Station on June 6, just shy of two months ago.

Their journey was supposed to last just two weeks, but ongoing technical issues with their ride, Boeing's much-maligned Starliner spacecraft, have delayed their return indefinitely. NASA still hasn't announced a return date.

Now, NASA has been discussing the option of having Starliner return back to the surface with neither Wilmore nor Williams on board, CNBC reports, though finding consensus has been difficult and discussions are still ongoing.

This scenario would involve sending a replacement SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule to rescue the two, NASA's flightworthy workhorse that cost a fraction to develop, despite being a part of the same Commercial Crew program as Starliner.

Sending the capsule back empty would be a major vote of no confidence in Boeing following years of delays, technical issues, and a failed launch attempt — not to mention a PR disaster for both NASA and Boeing, which have been adamant that everything has been going according to plan despite the chaos and delays.

Whether an empty return would seal Starliner's fate remains to be seen. Boeing and NASA have already committed a whopping $6.7 billion to the project since 2010 and are unlikely to give up too easily.

Capsule Culture

Over the last two months, NASA has played down the extent of Boeing's issues, with NASA commercial crew program manager Steve Stich arguing that the two astronauts were "not stranded" during a late June press conference.

Several of the capsule's 28 thrusters failed during docking procedures in early June. While NASA has since claimed that all but one are in good working condition, we still don't know the exact root cause.

The space agency and Boeing have painted their ongoing investigations as a way to collect more data, presumably to quell concerns.

But time is running out. Starliner's batteries are only rated to stay in orbit through early September.

The agency is still "evaluating all options," as Ars Technica reported last week, to get the two astronauts back.

"No decisions have been made and the agency will continue to provide updates on its planning," a NASA spokesperson told Ars.

Considering Boeing has lost a whopping $1.6 billion on Starliner, it shouldn't come as a surprise that NASA is still hemming and hawing before giving up.

But the company remains "confident in the Starliner spacecraft and its ability to return safely with crew," a Boeing spokesperson told CNBC last week.

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