The capsule’s return date has been pushed back and now depends on the analysis of new tests, after problems in flight. “The crew is not in danger,” assured Mark Nappi, a senior manager at Boeing.
The two astronauts who arrived in the International Space Station three weeks ago aboard Boeing’s new Starliner spacecraft are not “stranded” there, NASA argued on Friday June 28, even if the capsule’s return date continues to be postponed 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.
“The crew is not in danger”
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 rover’s return, 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 stuck on the ISS, the crew is not in danger,” also hammered home Mark Nappi, a senior executive at Boeing. “It’s quite painful to read the things that are circulating. We’ve had a very good test flight so far, and it’s being perceived quite negatively,” he complained.
“We can bring Starliner back in at any time,” he insisted. But “we don’t understand (the problems) well enough to fix them permanently, so the only way to do that is to take the time” and “gather more data.”
First manned flight for Starliner
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 looking for the cause of helium leaks detected in flight.
Helium is not flammable but is used for the propulsion system. The spacecraft still has enough helium to re-enter, according to the space agency.
The mission, which Boeing carried out years behind schedule, is Starliner’s first with a crew, and is necessary for the capsule to obtain NASA certification and then begin regular operations.
In the meantime, NASA astronauts have already been reaching the ISS thanks to SpaceX ships for four years.
