British astronaut Tim Peake has said the Boeing test pilots stuck on the International Space Station (ISS) are in no danger, despite uncertainty over how or when they will return to Earth.
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams flew the first crewed mission of the aerospace giant’s Starliner spacecraft to the ISS in early June.
But several thrusters used to steer the capsule failed and the pair are waiting for Boeing and NASA to find a fix.
“I know Butch and Suni very well,” he told Sky News.
“The ISS is a fantastic hub with plenty of food and resources. The crew are completely safe and I know the agencies are working on a return option for them.
“Every astronaut has to consider the risks involved in human space flight. It’s something we do and go through as individuals to be comfortable with.”
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Tim Peake
Mr Peake spoke to Sky News at the Farnborough International Airshow, where it was announced he is joining the first commercial mission to put UK astronauts in orbit.
His role at Axiom Space, which is organising the mission in partnership with the UK Space Agency, will be to attract at least £200m in private sponsorship to make it happen.
“I think it is hugely important,” he said.
“The space industry in the UK is doing well, growing at four times the rate of the UK economy.
“So, by having this strong presence for UK space exploration it means that filters down and brings a return to the rest of the space industry.”
Tim Peake during his first spacewalk at the ISS in 2015.Pic: NASA via Reuters
Axiom Space has already organised three trips to the ISS for billionaire space tourists and European-funded astronauts.
But the commercial mission for four UK astronauts would be the first of its kind. It has yet to be decided whether Tim Peake would command the mission.
Tejpaul Bhatia, the company’s chief revenue officer, said the crew could launch on a Space X rocket from Florida “within two to three years”, spending around two weeks on the ISS.
“Historically space exploration has been a government endeavour, a taxpayer endeavour,” he said.
“This is another path to space.”
Rapidly falling costs of reaching low-Earth orbit, and the decommissioning of the ISS in 2030, have opened up opportunities for commercial operators.
It’s likely a private space station will be built, operating as a commercial lab-space for astronauts to conduct experiments.
Axiom is ahead of the pack, already operating missions to the ISS in its final years, not just to do science, but also to learn how humans can live in space.
The company is hoping to attract funding for the UK mission from companies in the life sciences, data communications and security sectors who could commission experiments to be carried out by the crew.
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But any British company could join. A recent mission with an Italian astronaut on board attracted sponsorship from pasta manufacturers and a luxury car brand.
The UK Space Agency is putting up £15m to fly British science into space as part of the mission, if it goes ahead.
Dr Paul Bate, chief executive of the UK Space Agency, said: “Astronauts are the visible face of human spaceflight, but this mission is fundamentally about showcasing what space can do for citizens.
“From cutting-edge science and innovative technology demonstrations in micro-gravity, to the education and outreach work that will run alongside it, this mission shows how space breaks down barriers to opportunity and kickstarts economic growth.”