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NASA astronauts to meet Boeing execs after Starliner mission

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NASA astronauts to meet Boeing execs after Starliner mission
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Kelly Ortberg CEO of Boeing | Boeing

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are set to meet with Boeing executives this Wednesday to review the events that occurred during their previous mission aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft. On June 5, 2024, the astronauts left for space on the Starliner, but difficulties led to the spacecraft's uncrewed return to Earth on September 7. Wilmore and Williams later made their return journey on a SpaceX Dragon capsule on March 18.

At a NASA post-flight press briefing held on March 31, the astronauts, along with Crew-9 commander Nick Hague, addressed questions for the first time since landing back on Earth after spending over nine months in space. Both Wilmore and Williams expressed a willingness to fly on the Starliner again and recognized their own roles in the issues faced during the mission.

Williams expressed optimism about Starliner’s capabilities and emphasized the importance of learning from past challenges. According to a spacepolicyonline.com report, the crew is not interested in assigning blame but focusing on using the experience to achieve future success. Wilmore stated, “There were questions that I had as commander of the spacecraft that I should have asked and I did not.” He further noted that accountability extends throughout the program, involving both Boeing and NASA.

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Their upcoming meeting with Boeing personnel will focus on further elucidating the mission details and addressing the challenges they encountered. While they discussed these issues while in orbit, in-person exchanges are expected to be more fruitful. Wilmore remarked on their extensive experience on the program, saying, “We want to share that as much as possible.”

Boeing faces financial pressures due to the Starliner program, according to some reports indicating losses exceeding $1.8 billion. Despite this, NASA has confirmed Boeing President and CEO Kelly Ortberg's commitment to resolving the ongoing issues. The CST-100 Starliner still moves towards certification as both organizations work on the spacecraft's complications and prepare for further testing. Although a timeline for the next Starliner flight remains unclear, it is tentatively planned as a crew-capable post-certification mission.

The return of Williams and Wilmore to Earth ended a mission that lasted 286 days in space. During this time, they faced and overcame operational challenges such as helium leaks and reaction control thruster problems. Originally planned for a short eight-day stay, their mission extended much longer, leading to a total of 4,576 orbits and over 121 million miles traveled before a safe return. While Starliner returned to Earth without its crew, the astronauts joined the ascending Crew-9 mission to make their eventual trip back via SpaceX Dragon.

NASA's decision to return Starliner uncrewed reflects the broader challenges faced by Boeing in the Starliner program, with speculation about the company's future decisions concerning its space division.

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