two astronauts who were supposed to be on the International Space Station for 8 Days may be stuck there until next year Elon Musk May soon drop news that could turn an already dire situation into a nightmare for Boeing Starliner currently two astronauts are stuck aboard the International Space Station missing out on much needed rest and time with loved ones NASA's lack of confidence in the Starliner safety keeps them from coming home NASA has decided that but and sunny will return with crew n next February but what if musk's Revelation holds an even darker truth as
we explore the unfolding drama one thing becomes clear the Boeing starliners astronauts are not with us anymore the rise of SpaceX and the fall of Boeing's Starliner in August 2024 Elon Musk sent out a tweet that seemed like a subtle jab he hinted that aircraft companies won't rule the space industry just like car makers don't run the aircraft business musk was clearly aiming at Boeing the big Aircraft company that also build Space Systems musk's words didn't just come out of nowhere they followed a string of events involving NASA NASA revealed that astronauts Sunita Williams and
Butch Wilmore who embarked on a journey aboard Boeing Starliner would be returning to Earth using a SpaceX vehicle instead initially they launched into space on June 5th 2024 with plans to come back after approximately 8 Days however unforeseen technical glitches occurred during the spacecraft's docking attempt in light of these issues NASA deemed it unsafe to bring them back using Boeing's vehicle musk pointed out that if SpaceX wasn't around NASA might have had to ask Russia to help bring the astronauts home that would have been a major setback but how did things end up like this
to really understand we need to rewind and look at what led up to these events 10 years before the Starliner mess became news NASA handed out contracts to Boeing and SpaceX the goal was to enlist their help in transporting astronauts to the International Space Station this move aimed to lessen America's Reliance on Russia for launching astronauts into space Boeing's plan involved using their spacecraft called the Starliner which is also known as the CST 100 SpaceX would use its crew Dragon spacecraft Boeing landed a $4.2 billion contract while SpaceX which was seen as an underdog received
$2.6 billion even though they got less money SpaceX has been nailing it since 2020 they have successfully launched seven crude missions to the International Space Station using their spacecraft Boeing on the other hand well it's been zero successful crude flights and they've gone $1.5 billion over budget now before we get ahead of ourselves let's talk a bit about the International Space Station it is this huge lab floating in low earth orbit built and maintained by five major space agencies this includes NASA Ross Cosmos Esa jaxa and the CSA it's the largest thing humans have ever
built in space it serves as a giant science lab where astronauts perform experiments in microgravity and study the space environment now back to Boeing they thought the Starliner would be the perfect ride for astronauts heading to and from the space station the spacecraft itself is made up of a reusable crew capsule and a disposable service module it's bigger than spacex's crew Dragon but smaller than NASA's Orion capsule and it can carry up to seven people although NASA plans to fly only four at a time more also it can stay docked to the ISS for up
to 7 months the Starliner Launches on an atlas 5 n22 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida but the Starliner Journey hasn't been smooth far from it from software bugs to parachute issues it's been one setback after another it was originally supposed to be ready to fly astronauts in 2017 but those plans have been delayed over and over again mismanagement engineering problems you name it it's been a rough ride for Boeing one of the earliest signs of trouble came during a test flight in 2019 a rough start Boeing launched its Starliner spaceship into space for the
first time in December 2019 now the plan was for the vessel to dock with the International Space Station however it was solely a trial flight with no astronauts present just some cargo and a crash test dummy named Rosie the Starliner took off successfully on an atlas 5 rocket built by United launch Alliance everything seemed fine at first about 15 minutes after taking off the spaceship separated from the rocket it floated in space waiting to fire its engines to head towards the International Space Station but when it was time to do this nothing happened B quickly
work to regain control of Starliner the team managed to fire its main engines and got the spaceship into what they called a stable orbit the Starliner was safe for the moment everyone was holding their breath trying to figure out what went wrong following this incident NASA and Boeing officials gathered for a press conference at the launch site in Cape Canaveral Florida there was a mix of relief and disappointment in the air as they explained what they knew so far NASA's former administrator Jim brightenstein stepped up to share some of the initial findings he said that
a critical timing error caused the problem basically the spaceship's internal clock was off making the Starliner think it was farther along in its Mission than it really was this glitch led to a series of wrong Maneuvers the spaceship began doing things it wasn't supposed to do yet wasting Fuel and putting the mission at risk this timing error wasn't something anyone had EXP Ed the officials tried to sound optimistic but it was clear that they were disappointed as you can imagine this problem wasn't just a minor setback the teams had spent years planning every detail of
the mission and seeing things go wrong like this was tough they had to rethink their next steps and figure out how to fix this major issue before trying another launch it's strange to think that something as small as a timing mistake could detail a billion dollar spacecraft but that's space travel even the tiniest Details Matter this mission was supposed to be a major step forward a Showcase of Boeing's ability instead it became a lesson on just how easily things can go sideways when dealing with complex technology but this wasn't the end of the Starliner trouble
Boeing's Rocky path to crude Starliner launch due to the initial flight not going smoothly Boeing had to tweak their plans they revealed that the Starliner would have to conduct another unmanned test before being deemed fit to transport astronauts this was a big deal NASA stepped in and ordered an investigation which lasted 7 months by the end of it they found 80 things that Boeing needed to fix before Starliner could try again while Boeing was tied up with repairs and investigations SpaceX was making progress completing crude tests that Boeing hadn't even started but Boeing's troubles weren't
over yet as they prepared for another uncrewed test they aimed for a 2021 launch then Engineers discovered something alarming more than a dozen corroded valves in the propulsion system it was a mess Boeing had to go back to the drawing board running extensive rework and testing to sort out the problem the launch was delayed again and was eventually pushed to May 2022 when Starliner finally launched for its second space flight it seemed like maybe just maybe Boeing had finally gotten it right this time the ship didn't encounter any major issues and managed to make it
to the space station and back safely it felt like a long awaited Victory after so many setbacks things were finally starting to move forward by the next month NASA announced plans for Starliner first crude flight it would be a two-person test with veteran astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams this was a huge step for Boeing but who exactly were these astronauts chosen for this high stakes Mission Butch Wilmore was used to dealing with pressure he had flown combat missions during the Gulf War in 1991 and had worked as a flight test instructor before becoming an
astronaut in the year 2000 he first went to the International Space Station in 20 9 aboard the shuttle Atlantis where he delivered important spare parts then in 2014 Wilmore spent 6 months on the station after being launched by a Russian soyuz on that mission he did four space walks proving his familiarity with the spacecraft Sunita Williams made her Mark as the first woman to take on the role of a test pilot for a new spacecraft before NASA Williams had served in a Navy helicopter Squadron overseas during the Gulf War buildup NASA picked her in 1998
and she jumped right into working with the International Space Station Williams first visited the Space Station in 2006 aboard the Shuttle Discovery where she stayed for 6 and A2 months her mission was extended after hail damaged her return flight forcing her to adapt to longer time in space she later returned to the space station as a commander with these two experienced astronauts Boeing had a a strong team ready to tackle the Starliner Wilmore and Williams had seen it all combat missions long stint in space and challenging circumstances they were prepared to take on the Starliner
but the spacecraft itself had its own set of challenges the hardware issues that had plagued the Starliner didn't just disappear just as Boeing was getting ready to conduct tests of its spacecraft with astronauts new issues arose during the review process in 2023 it seemed like progress was being made only to be followed by setbacks new complications led to additional delays including the need for an extra drop test on a new parachute system to make matters worse Boeing had to swap out nearly a mile of tape used to insulate the spacecraft wiring after discovering its flammability
however by the spring of 2024 it seemed like Boeing was on the path to overcoming its issues they seemed to have dealt with the engineering problems that had held them back for so long there was a sense of hope that the Starliner troubled past was behind it the spacecraft was all set and the astronauts were geared up everyone around the globe was eagerly observing to witness whether Boeing would successfully pull off the long awaited Mission however appearances can be deceiving the road ahead was bound to be challenging and the Starliner series of problems was far
from over starliners unending troubles Boeing had a rough start to 2024 as it had to deal with one crisis after another in January the wall of a 737 Max blew out during a flight during the incident the shirt of a young boy sitting nearby was ripped off not long after a Boeing 747 leaving Miami was seen with flames shooting out of its engines March wasn't any better 50 people got hurt when a Boeing 7879 Dreamliner suddenly nose dived during a flight from Australia to New Zealand but that wasn't all later in March news broke that
Boeing whistleblower John Barnett had been found dead in his truck authorities suggested that it was a self-inflicted gunshot wound however the timing was suspicious Barnett was in the midst of giving a deposition for his defamation lawsuit against Boeing this raised doubt about the company's integrity and heightened existing suspicions to add to the drama Boeing CEO Dave calhoon revealed that he would be resigning at the year's end with these series of setbacks Boeing was eager for positive news that would turn things around the upcoming Starliner launch felt like a chance for some much needed Redemption the
company had poured over a billion dollars of its own money into this spacecraft and they really needed it to succeed failure was getting harder to swallow after months of rumors and delays Boeing finally announced in May 2024 that the crew flight test was tentatively set for launch everyone was on the edge hoping this would be the turnaround being needed the test pilots were ready to go on May 6th but things took another turn during the countdown Engineers discovered an issue with an oxygen relief valve on the rocket it wasn't safe so Boeing had to cancel
the launch the team worked quickly to fix it a new launch date was set for May 21st and everyone held their breath but just when it seemed like things might go right NASA Engineers found another problem a helium leak in the spacecraft it was another delay at this point delays were almost expected but it still stung the launch Team investigated and eventually called it a minor issue they traced the leak to a component in one of the 28 control thrusters used for maneuvering Starliner in Earth's orbit with the problem identified and fixed they cleared the
crew flight test for June 1st 2024 but even with a new launch date set there was a sense of unease could Boeing really pull this off the Starling initiative faced challenges from the beginning and it seemed that every issue occurred at the most inconvenient moment the stakes were high Boeing's reputation was on the line and the Starliner launch appeared to be a make or break moment the day finally arrived and everyone was ready but just 3 minutes 50 seconds before liftoff one of the spacecraft's three backup computers failed to sync with the others the launch
was cancelled yet again it was frustrating but Boeing pushed forward finally on June 5th 2024 after two failed attempts the Starliner launched successfully on an atlas 5 rocket inside were the veteran NASA astronauts eager to complete their mission they plan to spend about 8 days in orbit and return to Earth on June 14th but things didn't go smoothly remember that helium leak from before well it came back four more leaks showed up after liftoff trouble seemed to follow Starliner like a shadow as Starliner approached the International Space Station the day after launch things got tense
last minute Thruster failures nearly prevented the spacecraft from docking with the space station it was a close call and NASA started to worry if the thrusters failed now what else could go wrong would more malfunctions affect Starliner safe return to Earth everyone was on edge the crew's 8-day Mission quickly stretched into something longer 9 days after arriving at the International Space Station the return date was pushed back to June 22nd 2024 the media started asking questions was the Starliner really safe what was keeping the astronauts from coming home Boeing said they had fixed the problems
that delayed the undocking but they couldn't confirm when the crew would return Boeing insisted that Starliner was ready and safe to bring the astronauts back claiming they'd done all the testing needed but NASA wasn't convinced they were hesitant to take a chance so so NASA arranged for SpaceX to transport the crew back home however the SpaceX mission was scheduled for later in the month this meant the astronauts would need to remain on the International Space Station until February 2025 almost two months after Starliner docked at the space station NASA issued a statement they expressed that
the uncertainty and differing opinions among experts did not align with their safety and performance criteria for space travel NASA emphasized their commitment to maintaining safety standards without any compromises Boeing's reputation took a hit due to NASA's decision for a company that had long been a key partner with the American space agency this felt like a huge setback Boeing had been a trusted name in aviation and space for decades and now they were left feeling sidelined the media and public were quick to criticize the whole situation was seen as a major embarrassment bow was supposed to
be the reliable giant of American space travel but now they couldn't even bring their astronauts back home without a backup plan it was a hard pill to swallow especially for a company that had poured billions into the Starliner program while the astronauts awaited their SpaceX transport Boeing's Engineers were tasked with the challenge of assessing the situation and determining the cause of the mishap it wasn't just about fixing Hardware anymore it was about regaining trust and proving that they still belonged in the race to space Starliner was supposed to be a comeback for Boeing but instead
it highlighted their struggles the key question now was whether they could recover from the setback a safe return but a mission missed Boeing's failure to safely bring back astronaut suita Williams and her fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore left employees feeling embarrassed and disappointed a Boeing worker based in Florida shared with the press that this event dealt another blow to the company's reputation which had already been soured by previous accidents involving its planes the employee also mentioned that morale at Boeing was low meanwhile more strange issues with Starliner started to pop up on August 31st 2024 Wilmore
contacted Mission Control in Houston saying he heard an an odd noise coming from the Starliner there's a strange noise coming through the speaker and I didn't know if you could Connect into the Starliner and let me uh keep let you hear I don't I don't know what what's making it but uh the NASA engineer on the ground described it as a weird pulsing sound like a sonar ping which is something you might hear underwater everyone was puzzled by what was going on just 3 days after wilmore's report NASA announced that the noise had stopped they
explained that the sound was caused by Speaker feedback due to an audio setup between the space station and Starliner it was a strange explanation and it didn't exactly put everyone at ease not long after NASA announced that Starliner would return to Earth without Wilmore and Williams aboard it was a difficult decision but they ultimately chose what they believed to be the safest option on September 6th 2024 the uncrewed star liner separated from the International Space Station using its thrusters to initiate its return Journey the spacecraft re-entered Earth's atmosphere hurdling at speeds of around 177,000 mph
and streaking across the sky like a flash of light about 45 minutes later the Starliner deployed a series of parachutes which slowed its rapid descent moments before hitting the ground a set of airbags inflated to cushion The Landing the cap touch down in the White Sands space Harbor a quiet desert area in New Mexico the whole trip back to Earth took about 6 hours despite the empty return things didn't go off without a hitch there were more Thruster issues during re-entry but even with the glitches Starliner managed to make what NASA called a bullseye Landing
Steve stick NASA's commercial crew program manager later talked about the landing expressing mixed feelings he said that given everything he still believed they made the right choice not to have Wilmore and Williams on board Stitch added that while they were all relieved about the landing it wasn't the victory they hoped for they were glad the spacecraft had made it back in one piece but it was bittersweet everyone had been rooting for the Starliner to bring back the astronauts as planned and this wasn't how they had imagined the mission ending The Landing was a small win
for Boeing but it came with a sense of what could have been there was still a lot of work to be done and the safe return of the Starliner without its crew didn't erase the challenges that lay ahead the path forward for Boeing and its space program was still uncertain the next steps would be critical in proving that Boeing could overcome its setbacks and rise to meet the high standards of space travel once again adapting in space despite everything Wilmore and will Williams seem to be handling their Extended Stay in space pretty well they are
not alone up there though it's definitely crowded the ISS has only six sleep Chambers but right now nine people are sharing the space there is a storage space where astronauts keep snacks and personal belongings there are also two laptops which are secured to the wall the area is cramped making it challenging to find any privacy sleep on the space station isn't exactly restful the enclosures aren't soundproof so astronauts often fall asleep wearing headphones to block out the noise they might listen to music or sounds of Earth like rain or waves to help them drift off
Williams is bunking in a space chamber called crew alternate sleep accommodation which she shares with one of the other astronauts meanwhile Wilmore is sleeping in a bag that's free floating in the Japanese space agency's kbo module it's not the most comfortable setup but they are making it work when they first arrived the plan was for Williams and Wilmore to spend most of their eight days in space working inside the Starliner they had a long checklist to go through checking all of its systems Communications life support power and more but they finished those tasks long ago
and now their work days look very different instead they are helping the rest of the crew with science experiments and maintenance work it's not all glamorous either sometimes it's things like fixing a urine processing pump their daily routines are organized using a device that displays the complete schedule including tasks and meal times everything is divided into intervals and they have to stick to it it's a lot to juggle but the structure helps keep everyone focused for the first couple of months Wilmore and Williams had to manage with the limited supplies they brought they had not
packed for a long stay so they were running low on Fresh clothes in space there are no laundry services available so astronauts usually change into new outfits occasionally and get rid of the old ones but with their Extended Stay they were running out of clean outfits they were also low on other Essentials making things even more uncomfortable thankfully a resupply vehicle called snis built by Northrup Grumman arrived just in time it carried 8 ,200 lb of much needed supplies the cargo included fresh food like fruits and vegetables which were a welcome change from their usual
packaged meals the crew also received fresh clothes the two astronauts felt a sense of relief with the arrival of the signus living in tight quarters with a lot of people can be tough but small acts such as fresh clothes and a satisfying meal can truly boost morale although this mission may not be what Wilmore and Williams had initially expected they are adapting to the situation and making the best of it so what's next for Starliner after all this NASA Chief Bill Nelson expressed confidence to the media that Starliner would take to the skies once more
with astronauts on board he stated his certainty on the matter following Starliner Landing back on Earth Steve STI who oversees NASA's commercial crew initiative shared a positive outlook too talked about how excited they were to have Starliner back safely he added that it was an important test flight that would help set up future missions using the Starliner system but it's not that simple before Starliner can fly again Boeing has to fix what went wrong with the ship and that's going to be a challenge word is that fixing the Starliner Thruster problems will cost a lot
of money Engineers still need to figure out exactly what caused the issues but without the service module to examine it's going to be tough finding the exact cause could take years just like it took 3 years to fix the problems from Starliner 2019 flight a lot of people think that Boeing's reputation might take a hit because of all this they're up against SpaceX after all and spacex's dragon crew spacecraft has already completed multiple successful flights it's proven itself as a reliable way to travel to and from the space station so while Boeing is still hopeful
they have got a lot of work ahead of them they are facing some serious competition and a ticking clock what happens next with the Starliner could make or break their standing in the space game thank you for watching and see you in next video
