The National Space Council (NSpC) is the White House policy council responsible for ensuring the United States capitalizes on the rich opportunities presented by our nation’s space activities. Under the leadership of its chair, Vice President Kamala Harris, the NSpC advises and assists the President on the development and implementation of space policy and strategy and is comprised of Cabinet-level Secretaries and other senior executive branch officials.
The NSpC synchronizes the nation’s civil, commercial, and national security space activities to advance the broader priorities of the Biden-Harris Administration.
The reality
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams — two veteran NASA astronauts piloting the first crewed test flight of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft — have now been in space since June 5th, roughly seven weeks longer than initially expected when they launched . Their initial flight was for eight days and they were not allowed to carry personal items for such a short trip.
There is still no clear return date in sight, and NASA is now making clear that the astronauts may not come home on Starliner at all.
SpaceX, Boeing’s rival under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, may be tapped to bring Williams and Wilmore home in one of its SpaceX Crew Dragons. The move could potentially extend the astronauts’ stay on the International Space Station by another six months, pushing their return into 2025, agency officials said in a news conference Wednesday.
Mr Wilmore, 61, and Ms Williams, 58, flew a Boeing Starliner spacecraft to the station. It was the first flight of its kind with people on board and was a test designed to see how the new spacecraft performs before it is used more regularly. Problems, including leaks in its propulsion system beset their arrival at the ISS. They now need an alternative mode of transport to get home if the Starliner is not deemed safe to return to Earth.
At a news briefing on Wednesday, Nasa officials said no firm decisions had been made when it comes to next steps.
“Our prime option is to return Butch and Suni on Starliner,” Steve Stich, manager of Nasa’s Commercial Crew Program, said. “However, we have done the requisite planning to make sure we have other options open.”
One possible solution is to add the two astronauts to a mission scheduled to launch in September, and return them to earth with that mission in February 2025.
That flight to the space station will be made by a SpaceX Crew Dragon craft. The initial plan was for four crew members to go up, but two of the seats could be left empty if needed.
That plan would mean the astronauts would spend more than eight months – rather than eight days – aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
If the Crew Dragon is used, the Starliner craft would be returned to Earth without any crew, under computer control.
Why isn't anyone talking about Butch and Suni, the two astronauts Boeing stranded in space for 2 months, on what was supposed to be a 1 week trip? They were not allowed to take any luggage or change of clothes or personal items, since it was such a short stay.
— Peachy Keenan (@KeenanPeachy) August 2, 2024
They could have… pic.twitter.com/aAjQlwDugC
The fact this is not all over the press appears to be deliberate. Mocking China and Russia had this happened to them would have been commonplace. Could it be because Vice President Kamala Harris is chair of the National Space Council? As usual with operations she – at least nominally controls – it performs well below par/