JAKARTA – Boeing’s Starliner spaceplane, which had just brought two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) last week, was unable to free itself after discovering several damages to the ship. The team found five different leaks in the ship’s propulsion system that was supposed to navigate the ship when it returned to Earth.
Astronauts who are scheduled to return on June 14 are expected to delay their return until June 22, while Boeing and NASA try to resolve the issue, leaving the astronauts stranded until that day. Experts say NASA may need to launch a rescue mission which would be a shameful blow for Boeing which has faced several problems on its commercial plane.
“The NASA-Booming Starliner mission management team monitors the general condition of the aircraft and complies with the flight rules of our missions,” a Boeing spokesperson was quoted as saying by VOI in Dailymail. com
NASA itself declined to comment on whether a rescue mission was possible.
After separating from the Atlas rocket, NASA revealed that the capsules suffered two more leaks. The fourth leak was discovered after docking on June 6 and the last one was on June 10. In addition to the helium leak, four thrusters also suffered damage during the flight.
The delay has sparked concerns among experts who fear the two astronauts could be trapped on the ISS until rescue missions are sent.
Mike Gruntman, an astronomy professor at the University of Southern California, said that “it is more likely that SpaceX can provide additional launches in the near future to bring the astronaut back.”
The problem with Starliner comes along with a series of problems that have hit Boeing’s commercial planes. A Boeing aircraft experienced a rare “strait roll” at an altitude of 32,000 feet last month, resulting in the plane being removed from service. The same month, Singapore Airlines Flight SQ321 experienced turbulence which caused several injuries and one death.
Additionally, Boeing’s Air Canada plane caught fire seconds after takeoff last week. The series of problems adds increasing pressure on Boeing, which is already in the spotlight due to repeated problems with its various products.
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