Butch Wilmore takes blame for Boeing Starliner's failure that left him stranded on ISS with Sunita Williams
ByHT News Desk
Apr 01, 2025 06:27 AM IST
Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore spent 286 days in space — 278 days more than planned when they blasted off on Boeing’s first astronaut flight on June 5
NASA’s celebrity astronaut Butch Wilmore on Monday took the blame on himself for the technical failure of Boeing Starliner capsule due to which he was unable to return from the International Space Station (ISS) to Earth with his teammate Sunita Williams for over nine months.
Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore pose for a photo at Johnson Space Center on Monday, March 31, 2025, in Houston, U.S.(AP)
Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore pose for a photo at Johnson Space Center on Monday, March 31, 2025, in Houston, U.S.(AP)
Wilmore and Williams addressed their first press conference since their celebrated return from space earlier this month. The duo will meet Boeing's leadership on Wednesday to provide a rundown on the flight and its problems.
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Speaking on the Starliner's failure, Wilmore said, “I’ll start and point the finger and I’ll blame me. I could have asked some questions and the answers to those questions could have turned the tide. All the way up and down the chain. We all are responsible. We all own this.”
The retired Navy captains also clarified Boeing's technical capabilities. Williams noted that Starliner has “a lot of capability” and she wants to see it succeed. Wilmore said they will rectify all issued they faced. “We're going to fix them. We're going to make it work,” he said, adding he'd go back up “in a heartbeat.”
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Williams told AP that it felt “great” being back home and said she had to wait for her feet to get steadier before reuniting with her two Labrador retrievers the day after splashdown. “Pure joy,” she noted.
Wilmore said he has to get himself ready to dig holes in their yard as his wife wants to replace all the shrubs before summer.
NASA said its engineers still do not understand why Starliner’s thrusters malfunctioned, and more tests will be planned through the summer. Wilmore said Staliner would be “ready to go” if those issues are figured out.
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The space agency defended its decision made years ago to have two competing private companies provide taxi service to and from the space station. The ISS is set to be abandoned in five years and replaced in orbit by privately operated labs.
Suni and Butch travelled to the ISS in June last year for a scheduled eight-day mission. They were forced to stay as the Boeing Starliner capsule developed issues with its propulsion system. After its thrusters failed and helium leaked, the test pilots intervened in order for the Starliner capsule to reach the space station. The duo was the first crew to fly Boeing's Starliner in a test flight. The faulty capsule returned to Earth last September.
(With AP inputs)
International Space Station
Nasa
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