NASA / NASA
The Boeing Starliner that is currently docked at the International Space Station ( ISS ) after ready its first crewed test flight will not be regress to Earth this week as planned . The return of the Starliner hasalready been delayed once , but now NASA has foretell that the return will not take berth until former July .
The Starliner launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 6 and made it safely to the ISS carrying NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore . However , there were job with atomic number 2 leak both before andduring the journeyas well as an issue with the spacecraft ’s reaction control thruster that required two attempt at docking .
NASA / NASA
Now , NASA is hold up the return of the Starliner to make more time to investigate these issues . “ We are taking our time and follow our standard delegacy direction team appendage , ” said Steve Stich , handler of NASA ’s Commercial Crew Program , in astatement . “ We are permit the data drive our decision - making comparative to managing the small helium scheme leaks and thruster performance we observed during rendezvous and dockage . to boot , return the continuance of the mission , it is appropriate for us to complete an agency - degree review , similar to what was done ahead of … NASA ’s SpaceX Demo-2 comeback after two months on orbit , to document the agency ’s formal adoption on continue as project . ”
NASA has not yet announced a specific date for the plan return , but has said that it will be after two upcoming spacewalks that are scheduled for Monday , June 24 , and Tuesday , July 2 . One of these spacewalks was retard from its original date of June 13 due to anunusual cause : a discomfort issue with a spacesuit for one of the spacewalkers .
quad place managers typically plan for there to be some wiggle room between dates for major outcome like departures and arrivals of crewed or supply spacecraft and spacewalks so that the bunch can focus on one event at a sentence . NASA emphasized that the holdup in the divergence of the Starliner do n’t think of that the spacecraft is a risk or that the gang fellow member are unsafe .
“ Starliner is performing well in orbit while docked to the space post , ” said Stich . “ We are strategically using the extra time to acquit a path for some decisive station activities while completing readiness for Butch and Suni ’s return on Starliner and make valuable insight into the system upgrades we will want to make for post - certification missions . ”
For now , Williams and Wilmore will remain on the ISS with the other crew members , and NASA suppose they are “ not pressed for time to leave ” as there are plenty of supply for everyone to abide comfortably .
“ The bunch ’s feedback has been overwhelmingly prescribed , and they acknowledge that every bit of learn we do on the Crew Flight Test will ameliorate and focalize our experience for future crew , ” allege Mark Nappi , vice president and broadcast manager of Boeing ’s Starliner Program .
