(Washington) The two astronauts who arrived in the International Space Station three weeks ago aboard Boeing’s new Starliner spacecraft are not “stranded” there, NASA said on Friday, even if the return date of the capsule is not ceases to be postponed and now depends on the analysis of new tests.
Posted at 5:11 p.m.
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.
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 stranded in space,” NASA official Steve Stich said at an unusually tense news conference. There is “no rush” for the vehicle to return, he added.
PHOTO MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams
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 stuck on the ISS, the crew is not in danger,” also hammered home Mark Nappi, a senior Boeing executive. “It’s pretty painful to read the stuff that’s going around. We’ve had a really good test flight so far, and it’s being viewed pretty negatively,” he complained.
“We can bring in Starliner at any time,” he insisted. But “we don’t understand (the problems encountered, Editor’s note) well enough to repair them permanently, so the only way to do it is to take the time” and “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 transporting its astronauts to the ISS.
NASA and Boeing are still investigating the cause of helium leaks detected during the flight. Helium is not flammable but is used for the propulsion system. However, the spacecraft still has enough helium to re-enter, according to the space agency.
This mission, carried out by Boeing years behind schedule, is Starliner’s first with a crew, and is necessary for the capsule to obtain NASA certification and then be able to begin regular operations.
In the meantime, NASA astronauts have already been reaching the ISS on SpaceX ships for four years.
