Stranded NASA Astronauts Are Ditching Boeing Spacesuits For SpaceX Gear: Here's Why

In a press conference last month, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that the Boeing Starliner would return to Earth uncrewed due to technical issues. The Starliner had launched on June 5, carrying astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, and was initially meant to return within about a week. Wilmore and Williams will now remain aboard the International Space Station until at least February 2025, when they are expected to return to Earth on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.

Wilmore and Williams won't just be returning on a SpaceX spacecraft, they will also be wearing SpaceX suits. In fact, the two astronauts had to leave their old spacesuits aboard the Starliner. Why? The shortest answer would be because Boeing's space suits are not compatible with SpaceX spacecraft, but there's more to the story than meets the eye. Here's what that means, why it was necessary for the two astronauts to make the switch, and what happens next.

There are significant differences between the Boeing CST-100 Starliner and the SpaceX Dragon, so the Starliner IVA spacesuit and the SpaceX IVA spacesuit are wildly different as well.

For a start, the Boeing CST-100 Starliner lands on solid ground using three parachutes and airbags. The SpaceX Dragon, on the other hand, lands under four main parachutes in the ocean, using two drogue parachutes to slow its descent. The Boeing CST-100 Starliner has a diameter of 15 feet and a length of 16.5 feet. The SpaceX Dragon, meanwhile, is 26.7 feet long and 13 feet wide. As NASA explained in a statement to USA Today, "suits for different providers are not designed to be compatible outside of their own spacecraft, as each suit design must match its respective system."

According to program manager for NASA's Commercial Crew Program Steve Stich, it has always been NASA's goal to "have two dissimilar systems." That is because having an alternative system is key in the event of a failure, like the one we witnessed with the Starliner.

Theoretically, Wilmore and Williams could return to Earth without space suits. However, this would put their lives in danger as NASA would not be able to gather the data it needs to keep them safe. Additionally, loss of pressure in the cabin and temperature changes could also result in serious, life-threatening injuries.

Fortunately, Wilmore and Williams should be able to obtain compatible suits. There is currently one compatible suit in orbit. Williams has tried it on, and it fits her well. As for Wilmore, a suit his size will be shipped to the International Space Station.

SpaceX Crew-9 is set to launch by Sept. 24. Instead of launching with the planned four astronauts, it will launch with just two, so there will be room aboard for both Williams and Wilmore. As Stitch of NASA explained, "When we set up the contract, we let each of the contractors to find their own suits and their own interface, and then we're sending up a suit for Butch that will fly up on Crew-9."