The Starliner docked at the ISS with Egypt in the background – NASA
Boeing and NASA have just announced that, once again, They delay the return to earth of the Starliner manned capsule. Instead of June 26, which was the last announced date, now it will be in july.
This separates the undocking and landing of the Starliner from the space walks planned at the International Space Station (ISS) for next June 24 and July 2. And it gives mission teams (even) more time to review powertrain data.
According to Steve Stitch, head of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program,
We are taking our time and following the standard process of our mission management team. We are letting data guide our decision-making regarding management of small helium system leaks and thruster performance. [del sistema de maniobra] that we observed during encounter and mating. Additionally, given the duration of the mission, it is appropriate that we conduct an agency-level review, similar to what was done prior to the return of the SpaceX Demo-2 mission after two months in orbit, to document the formal acceptance by the agency to proceed as planned.
In any case, If there was an emergency that needed itButch Wilmore and Sunita Williams are authorized to return at any time aboard the Starliner.
The announcement says there is no rush for the Starliner to leave the Station, as there are abundant supplies on board and the ISS schedule of activities is relatively clear until mid-August. But so far Stitch has said on several occasions that the Starliner can remain up to 45 days docked at the ISS. So if they respect that – which by now you will know – the deadline for the capsule to leave the Station would be on July 17.
Beyond the date of the Starliner’s return to land, the big question is when the capsule will be able to enter regular service. Before the launch of this mission, there was talk of early 2025. But my impression is that there are going to be so many things to review and fix – they still don’t know what causes the helium leaks, for example – that it is probably not, at the very least, until the end of that year. If it doesn’t go to 2026.
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