On June 1st the Boeing’s first manned space missionmade with the ship Starliner. He six of the same month, they arrived to the International Space Station (ISS) with two NASA astronauts. The return to Earth It was planned for the ninthHowever, the crew is trapped and they still don’t know when they will return.
Originally, the return of astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williamsfrom NASA, postponed to June 22. However, the issues Boeing Starliner spacecraft mechanics are still unresolved.
So far, the return Boeing’s Starliner, the ship that showed problems even before its takeoff, is scheduled for launch on second of july. However, Boeing Commercial Crew Program Vice President Mark Nappi noted that they can stay there the time it takesuntil they carry out the necessary tests for their return to earth.
No hurry. We have to be ready for the return. And, learn more about thruster performance and helium leak.Mark Nappi.
Why can’t Boeing’s Starliner return?
According to NASA, the return of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft has not been possible because it presents helium leaks, issues in the propellants and one isolation valve.
The thrusters had problems during the docking sequence on the pad, towards the end of the flight. So the NASA and Boeing ground teams review the mechanisms so that they do not have problems on return.
As for the heliumthe ship was suffering from a “small” leakbut the leaks decreased in the following days. According to experts, this problem could have been caused by failures in the propellants, butor affects the return of the ship to Earthbecause it has enough of this gas.
NASA assures that astronauts are not in danger: they love being on the ISS
Given the ship’s failures, one of the main concerns is Butch Wilmore and Suni Williamsthe astronauts crew members. However, Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, said that these They are well and “would like to stay” for long period of time”.
They are doing well, they love the vehicle and being on the ISS. Steve Stich.
In addition to this, the American Space Agency denied that the astronauts are “stranded”, as it assured that they have “several weeks” to take advantage and develop experiments. And even they have sufficient supplies.
Starliner faced technical problems that postponed takeoff for years
Boeing built Starliner under contract with NASA. The flight It was planned since 2015, but it suffered multiple delays, which added to the fact that the first unmanned test flight had several problems that forced it to return 48 hours later without having reached the ISS.
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It was until second test flight unmanned, carried out in May 2022, when the mission had success. She remained docked with the Space Station for 4 days and landed once again in White Sands, New Mexico.
With information from EFE, Reuters and Germán Martínez.
