NASA has a tough decision to make

NASA, like LeBron James in 2010, has a decision to make – send two “stranded” astronauts home on A) Boeing’s Starliner, or B) SpaceX’s Crew Dragon?

Background: Starliner’s first crewed mission, carrying two astronauts, blasted off on June 5. While approaching the International Space Station, the craft experienced helium leaks and thruster issues, forcing NASA and Boeing to delay the astronauts’ trip back home and work to resolve the issues.

Two months later, the astronauts are still onboard the space station – and have no official return date.

Option A: Send the astronauts back home on Boeing's Starliner as planned. Recent testing indicates 27 of its 28 boosters are operating as they’re supposed to, and that the craft has enough helium to support a return trip from the station.

• However – while testing has generated “significant” data, the root cause of the failures have yet to be identified, CNBC reports. Meaning if NASA sends the astronauts home on Starliner, they may be rolling the dice.

Option B: Send the astronauts home on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, which regularly flies to-and-from the ISS. Should NASA choose this option, the vote of no confidence could impact Boeing’s future involvement in the space program, which has already been marked by delays, technical issues, and heavy financial losses ($1.6 billion on the Starliner project to date).

👀 Looking ahead… There’s a more than 50-50 chance NASA chooses Option B, a source told Ars Technica. Return planning will continue this week, with a decision expected soon.