What's Next For Indian-Origin Astronaut Sunita Williams Who Has Been Stuck In Space? NASA To Take Call Soon

While several options are being mulled on, NASA is expected to take a final decision on Saturday to bring Sunita Williams and Butch Willmore back to Earth on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft or on SpaceX’s Dragon capsule

File picture of Sunita Williams

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Wilmore Butch are facing agonising time in space. What began as an eight-day sojourn on the International Space Station (ISS) has extended to more than two months in space for Williams and  Willmore - the duo who became the first to ride the much-delayed Starline - after their return aircraft developed technical issues. While several options are being mulled on, NASA is expected to take a final decision on Saturday to bring Williams and Willmore back to Earth on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft or on SpaceX’s Dragon capsule, the US space agency said.

NASA's Options For Williams' Safe Return

NASA is reportedly weighing several options to bring Williams and Wilmore back to Earth safely. One option that was reportedly being explored was to wait for the scheduled arrival of a new spacecraft that could bring Williams and her fellow astronaut, Butch Wilmore, back to Earth. However, with the clock ticking on Williams' oxygen supply, the viability of waiting is uncertain. "NASA's decision on whether to return Starliner to Earth with astronauts aboard is expected no earlier than August 24 (Saturday) at the conclusion of an agency-level review," the space agency said in a statement, reported IANS.

Williams and Wilmore will return onboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule in February 2025, as NASA has delayed the launch of the SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the ISS to September 24, an IANS report stated. It was being considered to return Starliner to Earth uncrewed. If this had happened, NASA would have had to adjust its SpaceX Crew-9 mission by reducing the crew. From four astronauts, NASA would have to settle at two, which would allow Williams and Wilmore to return aboard Crew-9 early next year.

Concerns Over Potential Oxygen Shortage And Safety

As Starliner approached the orbiting lab, the spacecraft experienced a series of technical issues such as the failure of several thrusters and helium leaks in the propulsion system. While engineers were able to bring four of the five malfunctioning thrusters back online (there are 28 thrusters on Starliner), it still raises a concern about “a successful de-orbit” to Earth.

Moreover, comparisons have been drawn to past tragedies, such as the fate of Kalpana Chawla, another astronaut of Indian origin who tragically lost her life during the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003. The fear of a repeat scenario has heightened the anxiety surrounding Williams' current predicament.

According to a CNBC-TV 18 report, former commander of US military space systems Rudy Ridolfi highlighted some severe risks associated with using the malfunctioning Starliner for re-entry. In the same report, Ridolfi mentioned that "the Starliner could become stranded in space if thrusters malfunction, leaving astronauts with only a 96-hour oxygen supply. Misaligned reentry could cause the capsule to bounce off the atmosphere and remain in orbit".

Boeing's  Starliner Programme

After many setbacks for years, Boeing launched its first flight on June 5. Together with SpaceX, the company signed a contract in 2014 with NASA's Commercial Crew Programme to fly operational missions to and from the space station. In 2019, its debut uncrewed orbital flight mission did not go as planned. The mission was completed in 2022. SpaceX's Dragon capsules have been launching astronauts to space on its Falcon 9 rockets since 2020. It has so far aced about 12 flights to the Space Station. While Boeing has poured over $1.5 billion into its Starliner programme, NASA has paid the aerospace giant about $4.2 billion over the years. Both Boeing’s Starliner and SpaceX’s Dragon were aimed to ferry astronauts and cargo for NASA missions to low Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond.