‘It was heated’: Inside the conflict as Boeing pressured and NASA refused to bring Sunita Williams back to Earth

There were reportedly disputes between NASA and Boeing over how to return astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore to Earth after their mission to the International Space Station encountered unexpected delays.

Tensions between the two organizations, according to a New York Post report, boiled over during a series of intense meetings in which NASA expressed deep concerns about using Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft for the return flight.

“The situation was heated,” a NASA executive was quoted as saying in the report, which said Boeing insisted the Starliner was fit for the task despite significant problems with faulty engines and helium leaks.

“Boeing was convinced that the Starliner was in good enough shape to bring the astronauts home, and NASA disagreed. They strongly disagreed. Here, they felt that Boeing was acting extremely irresponsibly.”

The disagreement stemmed from a series of problems discovered after Williams and Wilmore arrived at the ISS in June. The astronauts had embarked on a mission that was supposed to last eight days, but discovered that the Starliner was experiencing helium leaks that were larger than initially thought. The leaks caused the spacecraft’s engines to malfunction, raising serious safety concerns.

In the end, NASA overruled Boeing’s push to deploy the Starliner, opting instead to have the astronauts return on a SpaceX mission that won’t take place until February — leaving Williams and Wilmore stuck aboard the ISS for nearly eight months. “Boeing wasn’t happy,” the NASA executive admitted, adding, “They made that perfectly clear to us. But what’s the headline if there’s a catastrophic error? It’s not ‘Boeing killed two astronauts,’ it’s ‘NASA killed two astronauts.’ So no, it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

The decision to sideline Boeing in favor of its rival SpaceX was a major blow to the space giant. Mark Nappi, head of Boeing’s Commercial Crew Program, confirmed the setback in an internal email, saying: “I know this is not the decision we had hoped for, but we are prepared to take the necessary actions to support NASA’s decision.” He stressed that the focus remains on crew and spacecraft safety, despite the demoralization within Boeing’s commercial space team.

Boeing employees, who have already dealt with a series of public relations disasters over the past year, were shaken by the latest development. The Starliner malfunction is particularly embarrassing because Boeing is competing with SpaceX, which has successfully completed nine manned missions with its Crew Dragon capsule and is now tasked with rescuing Williams and Wilmore.

Despite the setbacks, NASA publicly reaffirmed its partnership with Boeing. During a press conference over the weekend, NASA spokesman Bowersox stressed: “We have a contract with Boeing, but it is to work together to develop this capability for our country.”