The return of the Boeing Starliner to Earth from the International Space Station with the first crew of astronauts has been postponed, NASA said Friday.
NASA did not give a new date, raising questions about when the mission’s two astronauts would return, as more testing and technical problems threaten further delays.
The return to Earth was previously scheduled for June 26.
The crew of American astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams flew on June 5 as a final demonstration mission to receive regular flight certification from NASA.
Crew testing of the spacecraft, which has been sent to space twice without humans for testing since 2019, has suffered five failures in its 28 maneuvering thrusters, five leaks of helium that is meant to pressurize those thrusters, and a slow-moving propellant valve that indicated undetected issues from the past.
The issues and additional testing that NASA and Boeing have had to do raise questions about when Starliner will be able to fly its crew back home, and it adds to the list of extensive problems Boeing faces with its Starliner program. The company has racked up a cost overrun of $1.5 billion on top of its $4.5 billion NASA development contract.
NASA wants Starliner to become the second U.S. spacecraft capable of ferrying its astronauts to and from the ISS, alongside SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, which has been the agency’s primary ride since 2020. Boeing’s Starliner program has been plagued by software glitches, design problems and subcontractor disputes for years.
When Starliner arrived to dock around the space station on June 6, five thruster failures prevented the spacecraft from getting close until Boeing could implement a solution. The company rewrote software and changed some procedures to revive four of them and proceed with docking.
Starliner’s undocking and return to Earth represent the most complex phases of the spacecraft’s test mission. NASA officials have said they want to better understand the causes of thruster failures, a valve problem and a helium leak before Starliner embarks on its roughly six-hour return trip.
While Starliner’s current flight has only one thruster malfunctioning, Boeing encountered four thruster problems during the capsule’s uncrewed return from space in 2022.
A NASA spokesperson told Reuters that according to flight rules jointly established by Boeing and NASA, Starliner’s maneuvering thrusters must allow at least “6 degrees of freedom of control,” and each must have a backup thruster.
This could mean that as few as 12 of the 28 thrusters would be needed for safe flight — most of which are backups — or possibly even fewer, provided the remaining thrusters have a backup and can work together in a way that doesn’t impede Starliner’s freedom of maneuver in space.
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