We tell you how two American astronauts have been stuck for two months in the International Space Station

Technical problems with the propulsion system and helium leaks during the outbound flight of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft have forced astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to remain on the ISS for the time being, with no immediate return plan.

A mission led by Boeing… which turns into a fiasco. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williamstwo American astronauts who arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on June 6, have been stuck on the ISS for just over two months, although they were only supposed to stay there for a few days. Technical problems identified during the outbound flight on Starliner, and which have still not been resolved, prevent the two astronauts from using it to return to Earth. Franceinfo tells you how the two space travelers found themselves stuck on the ISS.

Boeing’s Starliner takes off on first manned flight

The Starliner ship had its baptism of fire on June 5, during the flight that took Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the ISS. The ship had already reached the ISS once in 2022, but without carrying astronauts. This first manned flight aims to demonstrate that the vehicle is safe to begin its regular operations. It therefore represents a major challenge for the aeronautical giant, as well as for NASA, the American federal space agency.

“When Starliner is certified, the United States will have two systems to transport humans to the ISS, and no other country has that.”NASA associate administrator Jim Free enthused at the end of June. Ten years ago, NASA ordered two new vehicles from the American companies Boeing and Space X (Elon Musk’s astronautics company) to transport its astronauts to the ISS. While Space X has already been playing this role of space taxi for four years, Boeing’s program is years behind schedule. The first manned flight at the beginning of June should then allow the manufacturer to get back into the race.

Propulsion system problems and helium leaks detected during maiden flight

Unfortunately for Boeing, the flight did not go as well as planned. THE Starliner took off from Florida on June 5, and docked with the ISS the next day, one hour and twenty minutes late. During the flight, problems with five of the spacecraft’s 28 thrusters, used to make trajectory adjustments, delayed the final approach.

Of the five projectors, four were eventually put back into operation, providing the number needed for the operation. These thruster problems “should not be a concern (…) for the other phases of the mission”said Steve Stich, head of the program at NASA, at a press conference on June 7.

Besides these thruster problems, NASA announced the day after the flight that two new helium leaks, in addition to one already known, had been detected on the spacecraft. A fourth leak was then detected, reports Steve Stich, who specifies that these leak problems “are not related at all” to incidents on the thrusters. However, one of the leaks had been identified before takeoff, but it was then decided not to repair it, because after analysis, NASA had classified it as “small” and had considered that it did not represent a danger.

But with the appearance of three others, “We need to look at what this means for the rest of the flight.”Steve Stich then declared. “We should have enough margin” in terms of the amount of helium on board, he adds, wanting to be reassuring. For his part, Mark Nappi, head of Boeing, promises about these “small” worries : “We will solve them for the next mission.”

Two astronauts stuck in space, no specific return date

But three weeks later, when theThe two astronauts were only supposed to spend a few days on the ISS before returning to Earth, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are still being held aboard Starliner, with no known return date. “Butch and Suni are not stuck in space”Steve Stich nevertheless asserted on June 28, during a press conference held to cut short the criticism.

They are not “not stuck in the ISS, the crew is not in danger”also hammers home Mark Nappi. “It’s quite painful to read the things that are circulating. We’ve had a very good test flight so far, and it’s being perceived quite negatively.”he complains, even assuring that he could “bring Starliner back in at any time”.

Despite the wait, the two astronauts are optimistic from space on July 10, interviewed during a press conference. “I have a very good feeling that the spaceship will bring us home, no problem.”confides Suni Williams, adding that in the meantime, “We are having a great time here on the ISS”. “This is the world of testing. It’s a tough industry.”puts into perspective Butch Wilmore, test pilot, who took the controls of Starliner as it approached the ISS. “Every spacecraft ever designed has had multiple problems. That’s the nature of our work.”

Space X called to the rescue, but not before February 2025

However, two months after the arrival of Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams in the ISS, the confident and optimistic speech of the aerospace leaders is undermined. Wednesday, August 7, NASA now says it is considering a return of the two astronauts to Earth via a Space X capsule, which would be a humiliation for Boeing. The tests carried out to understand the causes of the problems encountered during the Starliner outbound flight have so far not succeeded in reassuring NASA enough for the two astronauts to return aboard the ship.

To unblock the situation, the idea would therefore be to take advantage of Space X’s next manned mission, named Crew-9. This is a regular rotation mission of the ISS crew, which was to include four astronauts. It could ultimately only take off with two astronauts, in order to be able to bring back the two space castaways upon its return. The latter would therefore remain on board the ISS until February 2025, the date of the planned return of Crew-9.

“We have done everything necessary” for this plan to be implemented, Steve Stich assured during a press conference on August 7, emphasizing all the same that “The preferred option is to have Butch and Suni return on board Starliner”. NASA must decide by “mid-August” between the two options, he adds, while the takeoff of Crew-9 has been pushed back from August to the end of September in order to give NASA more time to make its decision.