Topline
Two NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station, who were scheduled to return to Earth weeks ago, said Wednesday they were confident Boeing’s Starliner capsule can bring them home, after a series of technical issues caused their return from the International Space Station to be delayed for nearly a month.
The two NASA astronauts were scheduled to return just over a week after arriving at the … [+] International Space Station last month.
Key Facts
Butch Wilmore, who arrived with Suni Williams on the ISS on June 6, said he and Williams were “absolutely confident” they could undock from the station and “figure out the best way to come home” on Boeing’s Starliner capsule “if we had to.”
Wilmore and Williams were scheduled to leave the ISS on June 14, about eight days after arriving at the station.
NASA is completing tests on Starliner’s thrusters at a facility in New Mexico, after five thrusters failed as the capsule approached the ISS, Boeing said earlier this month, though four of the thrusters have since been reactivated.
Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew chief, said last month that testing could continue for “a couple weeks” or longer before NASA reviews the test data and schedules Starliner’s return.
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Crucial Quote
“We trust that the tests we’re doing are the ones we need to do to get the right answers, to give us the data that we need to get back,” Wilmore said. “I have a really good feeling in my heart that the spacecraft will bring us home, no problem.”
What To Watch For
Stich said Starliner was approved to stay at the ISS for 45 days, meaning the latest the capsule could return is July 21, though he added NASA is considering extending the capsule’s mission to 90 days, delaying the latest possible return to Sept. 4. NASA officials will determine whether Starliner’s battery can be sustained for that long before making a decision, Stich said.
Key Background
Five days after arriving at the ISS last month, Boeing announced Starliner was experiencing five “small” helium leaks, though it wasn’t immediately clear how much helium was leaking. Despite the leak, Boeing said engineers determined the helium supply was sufficient to return Starliner to Earth. NASA delayed Starliner’s return multiple times in June, later announcing the capsule wouldn’t return until at least early July as the agency studied propulsion system issues. Both Williams and Wilmore have continued completing tests while aboard the ISS, according to Stich, who noted the two astronauts “aren’t stranded in space” and would return home “at the right time.”
Surprising Fact
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft faced setbacks even before launching last month. An earlier launch attempt was delayed, after officials discovered a helium leak on Starliner’s service module. Boeing successfully docked an unmanned Starliner capsule at the ISS in 2022 after a series of technical failures, including oxidizer valves in the propulsion system that became stuck. In 2019, Starliner suffered software glitches that caused the capsule to become briefly stranded in orbit.
Further Reading
ForbesBoeing’s Starliner Capsule Docks At International Space Station In Major MilestoneBy
