SpaceX may be forced to come to the rescue of two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station after their Boeing Starliner suffered a worrying helium leak.
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams blasted off into space on the Starliner on June 5 and were supposed to stay on the ISS for just nine days — but problems with their shuttle have left their return date still up in the air, and NASA now is frantically trying to help solve the problem.
Boeing’s rival, SpaceX, could potentially end up being tapped to bring them home aboard its Crew Dragon spacecraft.
The result would serve as a major blow to troubled aerospace giant Boeing, which has spent about $1.5 billion in cost overruns — beyond the initial $4.5 billion contract with NASA — in hopes of making the Starliner an option second to reach the ISS.
While NASA and Boeing officials have reiterated that the current problems aboard the Starliner do not indicate a need for SpaceX to lend a hand, Crew Dragon is up to the task.
The SpaceX spacecraft, which recently carried four astronauts to the ISS in March, is capable of carrying two to four passengers at a time, but can accommodate additional passengers in case of emergency.
SpaceX had served as the only commercial company approved to transport astronauts and cargo to the space station since 2020.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment on Tuesday.
Michael Lembeck, an associate professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who served as a consultant for Boeing’s spaceflight division from 2009 to 2014, told The Post that the Starliner is likely still Wilmore and Williams’ journey to Earth.
“Right now, I would say the need for SpaceX to grow is very low,” Lembeck said. “We’re going to have to see a major issue come out in the next couple of days to warrant that response.”
Lembeck and Katsuo Kurabayashi, a professor of aerospace engineering at New York University, told The Post that NASA will most likely delay the return trip so they can spend more time studying the spacecraft while is still connected to the ISS to learn more about what happened. mistake and how to avoid it for his next mission.
While the capsule carrying the astronauts will return to Earth, the service module — which stores the engines, fuel and helium tanks — will not, Lembeck explained.
“With plenty of helium gas remaining, it is prudent that the teams take enough time to ensure that the Starliner is fully prepared and certified for the return journey,” added Kurabayashi.
The NYU professor noted that the situation remains fluid and that future updates from NASA will be an indication of how the issue has developed.
“If they start casually talking about a rescue mission, that would indicate that there are some serious, potentially life-threatening hardware defects found with the Sarliner,” Kurabayashi said.
The last time a NASA astronaut needed help returning to Earth was in 2022, when the Russian Soyuz capsule developed a leak with American Frank Rubio on board.
While NASA had considered tapping SpaceX for help, Rubio eventually returned to an empty Soyuz capsule that Russia launched.
The incident extended Rubio’s six-month mission into a mission that lasted more than a year, or 371 days, a record duration for an American in space.