Why Starliner astronauts Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore rejected Boeing rescue mission as they await SpaceX's Crew-9
Even though the Boeing spacecraft landed safely on September 7, there was a sound reason why Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore rejected Starliner rescue plans.
Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have been stuck on the International Space Station since June 6. They embarked on their cosmic journey aboard the Boeing Starliner, giving way to the company’s commercial crew program under NASA. Although their initial beliefs iterated that they would only be in space for a week, the stay stretched out for months as hardware malfunctions plagued the spacecraft, pushing back their return to Earth.
In a recent press briefing from space, Williams and Wilmore finally revealed that they turned down the chance to come back home on board the Starliner. In late August, NASA made the final decision that the maverick duo would hitch a ride to Earth alongside SpaceX’s Crew-9 no earlier than February 2025. The Boeing capsule touched down on Earth, uncrewed, on September 7. Their round trip on the Starliner clearly wasn’t meant to be.
Why Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore rejected the Starliner rescue plan
But now we finally know why Boeing’s rescue plan was rejected, allowing its rival company to step in as the last grace. Multiple reports have already established that the Starliner’s agency pressed the government unit, insisting that their spacecraft would safely bring Williams and Wilmore back. However, the US agency uncompromisingly prioritised the astronauts’ safety above everything else.
Wilmore said on Friday that they had no alternative but to see the Starliner leave the ISS without them because they ran out of time to complete testing the capsule’s onboard systems. Plus, they were tight on schedule, as they had to make room for another spacecraft arriving in a few months on the ISS.
“There were things that we just could not get comfortable with. The data could have gotten there. We just simply ran out of time,” he said during the virtual conference.
NASA astronauts not spiteful despite numerous delays expanding their stuck-in-space phase
Despite the risky and high-stakes environment surrounding them, the duo kept their cool. “We’re not surprised when deployments get changed,” Sunita Williams said, referencing her and Wilmore’s past professional experiences with the Navy. “It’s risky and that’s how it goes in the business.”
Speaking of how unfortunate it was for them to see the Starliner leaving them, Wilmore said, “It was trying at times. You don’t want to see it go off without you, but that’s where we wound up.”
Despite missing significant moments with their families back home, Williams admitted it wasn’t all bad. She’s previously spoken of space as her “happy place.” Again, she highlighted that looking at her home from 260 miles (420 kilometres) had its own perks. It “takes you to a different place. It’s very peaceful up here,” Williams added.
The Indian-origin astronaut also said, “We're excited to fly in two different spacecraft. I mean, we're testers; that's what we do.”
“We wanted to take Starliner to the completion and land it back on land at home. But, you know, you have to turn the page and look at the next opportunity. We'll come back with some evaluation of both spacecraft, and I think we're pretty fortunate for that.”
Watch Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore's conference from the Space Station: