2 Astronauts Are Stuck in Space. A Bay Area Congresswoman Wants Answers

U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren wants to know what led to two astronauts being stuck at the International Space Station until next year after problems with the Boeing spacecraft that brought them into orbit.

Lofgren (D-San José), the top Democrat on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, announced on Monday that she wants to understand exactly what went wrong with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, whether space station operations will be affected and whether NASA should reassess its partnership with Boeing.

Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams were the first people to ride Starliner, which took off for the International Space Station on June 5 and was supposed to return eight days later.

But after a series of glitches, including helium leaks and issues with the spacecraft’s thrusters, NASA officials announced Friday that they would keep the astronauts at the station until February when a SpaceX Dragon capsule will return from a trip to the station launching in September. Starliner will return without a crew.

“We will continue the analysis with Boeing, but obviously, there is a problem here,” Lofgren said. “Everybody is aware that there have been other problems with aircraft at Boeing — we’re not blind to that. But the main issue for us now is the safety of the crew.”

Starliner completed an uncrewed flight test in 2022 but also experienced issues with its thrusters then. Despite the snag, Boeing officials celebrated the launch and said it represented “the beginning of a new era of space exploration.”

“Boeing continues to focus, first and foremost, on the safety of the crew and spacecraft,” Connor Greenwood, a spokesperson for the company, said in a statement to KQED. “We are preparing the spacecraft for a safe and successful uncrewed return.”

The Starliner missteps are stepping up scrutiny on Boeing, which has also faced problems with its commercial aircraft, including two fatal crashes involving its 737 Max 8 in 2018 and 2019 and, most recently, a midair blowout of a door-sized fuselage panel on an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 in January.

Congress is in recess, but Lofgren said she intends to discuss the issues with her colleagues when they reconvene after Labor Day.

When asked if Congress might urge NASA to reconsider its $2.6 billion contract with SpaceX, Lofgren said it wouldn’t be negotiated in the press, but she does have mixed feelings about the company’s owner, Elon Musk.

“I will say, although I’m not a big fan of the owner of SpaceX, the vehicle has performed well,” she said. “My level of confidence is much higher with that craft.”