Safe from space: On the return of the NASA mission space crew

In the early hours (IST) of March 19, 2025, a SpaceX crew capsule bearing NASA astronauts Sunita Williams, Barry Wilmore, Nick Hague, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov splashed down off Florida. Ms. Williams and Mr. Wilmore had returned to the earth after nine months in the International Space Station (ISS), whereas they had originally been expected to spend eight days in the course of testing Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule. The Starliner saga has now concluded, but not before it twisted the reality of human spaceflight out of context, making it sound like a caper rather than a testament to the virtues of protocol. Following Starliner’s launch in June 2024, a series of malfunctions left Ms. Williams and Mr. Wilmore onboard the ISS before the capsule returned empty to the ground in September. The events spurred concerns and indignation in the popular imagination, swirling around a dearth of information both NASA and Boeing were reluctant to fill. As their stay was expanded to nine months, curiosity swelled over their well-being. While this response was natural, speculation fuelled by insufficient updates and political propaganda in the U.S. also fanned misinformation that cast Ms. Williams and Mr. Wilmore as having been “stranded” in space.

If the “stranded” narrative captures the gist of Starliner’s failure, it misses the inalienable contingencies at the heart of human spaceflight. Ms. Williams herself has sought to downplay the use of such terms. Over the years, but especially in the wake of the Challenger and Columbia shuttle disasters in 1986 and 2003, NASA has instituted procedures its personnel are required to follow in a variety of situations where events buck a pre-planned sequence. One is that astronauts onboard malfunctioning spacecraft can move to the ISS, which is always prepared to host such visitors. But many actors framed NASA as weak-willed for sticking to its protocols. When it scrubbed a prior launch attempt of the capsule that returned the astronauts for technical reasons, supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump accused the agency of infirmity rather than acknowledging it as a well-known safety measure. Narratives that overlook the simple fact that two veterans were picked to pilot Starliner’s first crewed flight belie the existence of multiple safety checkpoints and the great lengths to which space agencies go to ensure one unexpected outcome does not spell catastrophe. People, including in India — where concern for Ms. Williams parallels a growing pride in the country’s budding human spaceflight programme owing to her Indian ancestry — would do well to replace notions of triumphalism in space with good old “safety first”. Also, space agencies should realise the importance of clear, timely communication as an integral part of safety protocol.