At the beginning of June, Boeing transported two astronauts aboard its Starliner spacecraft to the ISS.
Mission accomplished for this new space taxi, of which it was the first manned flight.
But technical anomalies are now preventing the crew from returning to Earth, and postponements are increasing.
The two astronauts who arrived at the International Space Station three weeks ago aboard Boeing’s new Starliner spacecraft are not there “blocked”NASA said on Friday, even though the capsule’s return date has been pushed back and now depends on the analysis of new tests.
These tests concern in particular the problems encountered in flight on the capsule’s thrusters as it approached the Space Station (ISS) to dock there.
They are not stuck on the ISS, the crew is not in danger
Mark Nappi, a senior executive at Boeing
Ground tests on similar thrusters will be carried out to recreate the space environment and better understand the cause of the problem. These tests should last approximately two weeks, and a return date will not be set until then.
“Butch and Suni are not stuck in space”, underlined Steve Stich, senior official at NASA, during an unusually tense press conference. The return of the vehicle is not “press”, he added. The two astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, were initially scheduled to spend just over a week in the flying laboratory. Which led the American press to wonder if the astronauts currently found themselves without a means of return.
They are not “not stuck in the ISS, the crew is not in danger”also hammered home Mark Nappi, a senior executive at Boeing. “It is quite painful to read the things that are circulating. We had a very good test flight so far, and it is perceived rather negatively”he complained.
Take the time to collect “more data”
“We can bring in Starliner at any moment”he insisted. But “we don’t understand (the problems encountered, editor’s note) well enough to fix them permanently, so the only way to do it is to take the time” et “collect more data”.
In addition to the thrusters, another anomaly affects Starliner, a new vehicle ordered 10 years ago by NASA to serve as a space taxi carrying its astronauts to the ISS. NASA and Boeing are still looking for the cause of helium leaks detected in flight. Helium is not flammable, but is used for the propulsion system. However, the ship still has enough helium to return, according to the space agency.
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The mission, which Boeing flew years behind schedule, is Starliner’s first with a crew, and is necessary for the capsule to receive NASA certification and begin regular operations. In the meantime, NASA astronauts have been flying to the ISS on SpaceX ships for the past four years.
