NASA Boss Blames SpaceX Explosion For Delaying Return Mission To ISS

NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine cast doubt on Elon Musk’s ability to safely ferry astronauts to space after blaming the SpaceX Crew Dragon explosion for delaying the agency’s return mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Due to the mishap encountered by Musk’s company, NASA could turn to another provider such as Boeing to fulfill its needs.

During a press briefing at the recent Paris Airshow, Bridenstine provided an update regarding NASA and SpaceX’s partnership for a future mission to transport astronauts to the ISS through the latter’s Crew Dragon spacecraft.

The administrator admitted that NASA’s plans for the upcoming missions have changed due to the failed test that destroyed the Crew Dragon capsule.

“There is no doubt the schedule will change,” Bridenstine told reporters according to Reuters. “It won’t be what was originally planned.”

Originally, the official launch for the Crew Dragon spacecraft was set in June or July of this year. Unfortunately, on April 20, the spacecraft suffered a catastrophic failure during its static fire test.

It was supposed to be the final test for the Crew Dragon before proceeding with its manned mission to the ISS. However, an anomaly occurred during the test that led to the explosion of the capsule.

At that time, Bridenstine announced that NASA has been informed regarding the results of the test. He noted that the agency was working closely with SpaceX to investigate the matter.

The Crew Dragon’s failed test has forced NASA and SpaceX to delay the return mission to the ISS. According to the space agency, the official launch might take place sometime in 2020.

Although NASA is still determined to proceed with SpaceX for the upcoming mission, there have been speculations suggesting that the space agency might go with a different provider for its manned transportation launches.

One of the companies that’s reportedly poised to be the frontrunner for NASA is Boeing. Like SpaceX, Boeing has contracts with NASA for the development of space capsule systems.

Boeing is currently building CST-100 Starliner spacecraft. This will serve as the company’s official entry for NASA’s Commercial Crew Development, a program aimed at launching privately owned and operated crew capsules into low Earth orbit.