NASA’s commercial crew program manager, Steve Stich, has announced a delay in the return of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft from the International Space Station (ISS) to Earth. Originally scheduled for June 26, the return has been postponed due to ongoing troubleshooting of thruster issues and a scheduled spacewalk.
Initial Mission Challenges
Launched on June 5 from Cape Canaveral, astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams successfully docked the Starliner with the ISS. However, the mission encountered setbacks including four helium leaks and failures in five of its 28 manoeuvring thrusters.
Reasons for Delay
According to CNN, the decision to delay the return is to allow NASA’s team more time for data analysis and troubleshooting of the thruster problems. Mark Nappi, Boeing’s commercial crew program lead, described the delay as an opportunity to conduct additional work on the ISS. He emphasized that the mission, originally planned for eight days, is crucial for learning and improving the spacecraft’s capabilities.
Path Forward
The Boeing Starliner’s current mission marks its first human spaceflight as part of the commercial crew program. Successful completion of this test flight is pivotal for NASA and Boeing to achieve full certification of the Starliner. This certification will enable Boeing to conduct regular missions alternating with SpaceX to transport astronauts to the ISS.
Future Missions and Challenges
Under its contract, Boeing plans to conduct six missions with the Starliner-1 starting in February. However, Boeing currently trails SpaceX, which has been flying astronauts from the US since May 2020. The return journey of the Starliner is expected to take approximately six hours, targeting a landing site in either New Mexico or Utah.