NASA Administrator Bill Nelson has expressed his views on the delay in Boeing's "Starliner" to return astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams from the International Space Station (ISS). In his remarks, Nelson said he appreciated the team at NASA working to ensure the crew's safe return.
He emphasized that crew safety is NASA's top priority upon the crew's return, adding that they are making a meaningful contribution to scientific activities on the space station.
Commercial crew managers from Boeing and NASA were absent from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) press conference yesterday. Their teams are responsible for analyzing data from "Starliner" to ensure whether the spacecraft has the ability to return crew members to Earth. However, during the conference call, agency officials did reveal that the next review that will ultimately determine the fate of the crew will take place next week, as NASA must carefully plan operations on the space station.
After the call, Nelson publicly expressed his thoughts on the "Starliner" delay on X, his first public comment since confirmation of the matter. He thanked the NASA team responsible for Boeing's crew flight testing and expressed his appreciation for the work of Wilmore and Williams on the International Space Station. "Butch and Suny are doing great on the International Space Station and are continuing their important missions with the Expedition 71 crew," Nelson said.
In addition to Wilmore and Williams, NASA astronauts Janet Epps, Tracy Dyson, Don Pettit, Matthew Dominic and Mike Barratt are also astronauts currently living on the International Space Station. Some of the work Boeing astronauts have completed in space so far include conducting kidney and bladder stone scans, repairing the space station's exercise machine, working on the International Space Station's water system and inspecting Northrop Grumman's Cygnus cargo ship after docking with the International Space Station.
Nelson also emphasized that the safety of Wilmore and Williams was NASA's top concern when deciding on their return. He also said: "NASA is evaluating every option to ensure the safe return of Butch and Suni. Currently, the space agency is trying to squeeze in as much time as possible to make a clear decision on whether to detach "Starliner" from the International Space Station, with or without a crew."
NASA will hold a flight readiness review as early as next weekend to make the decision, according to Ken Bowersox, associate administrator for space operations. NASA is also eager to ensure continued access to space via Starliner, and a potential unmanned return may not disqualify the spacecraft from future crewed missions to the International Space Station.