It may not have started as a three-hour cruise, but the Gilligan’s Island in Space-type saga experienced by the two members of the Boeing Starliner continues. After launching June 5th for an eight-day mission, Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams learned on Saturday that they won’t return to Earth until at least February 2025, according to USA Today.
Further humiliating Boeing’s space program, the plan now involves Wilmore and Williams returning on a SpaceX Dragon capsule that will dock with the International Space Station in September for a scheduled six-month mission. Deemed too unsafe for human occupants, the Starliner craft with be returned to Earth uncrewed (and hopefully intact) before the Dragon capsule’s arrival to free up the docking space.
It’s the latest in a number of embarrassing setbacks for the Boeing spacecraft, which included multiple launch delays for its first manned mission due to a mysterious helium leak and years-long delays in development. Boeing has also been plagued with various malfunctions involving its lower-altitude aircraft, from deadly software glitches to self-detaching fuselage panels.