Boeing and NASA on Thursday provided updates on the Starliner’s delayed return to Earth, saying that there is still no return date set as the two astronauts on board reach day 50 of what was supposed to be, at most, a 10-day mission.
Steve Stich, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program Manager, stated during a conference call, “We don’t have a major announcement today relative to a return date. We’re making great progress, but we’re just not quite ready to do that.”
The spacecraft has been docked at the International Space Station since early June, and further testing and analysis are necessary to ensure its safety and reliability.
NASA
The Starliner spacecraft, part of Boeing’s CST-100 series, arrived at the ISS on June 6 after encountering some technical challenges during its approach. The spacecraft faced thruster issues but managed to dock with the forward port of the station’s Harmony module.
As they neared the ISS, several of the Starliner’s thrusters shut down due to “five small helium leaks in the spacecraft’s service module,” according to NASA.
NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been aboard the International Space Station (ISS) far longer than initially planned, were expected to spend around one week on the ISS, and return to Earth on June 14, but their homecoming has been pushed back repeatedly as ground teams attempt to understand the cause of the thruster malfunction.
Boeing and NASA have repeatedly stated that the crew are not “stranded”, and previously told Newsweek that the thruster issues were “not a concern” for the Starliner’s return flight to Earth.
While awaiting their inbound flight, NASA reported that Williams and Wilmore have been “performing scientific research and maintenance activities” alongside the Expedition 71 crew on the ISS.
The Starliner program has faced numerous delays and technical challenges since its inception. Initially slated to fly in 2020, the program has been repeatedly pushed back due to software issues and other technical difficulties.
NASA remains committed to the Starliner as a critical component of its commercial crew program, alongside SpaceX‘s Dragon capsule.
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