US space agency NASA has confirmed that Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams’ return from the International Space Station (ISS) has been further delayed and no new date has been fixed for her “happy landing”.
This incident has happened at a time when the spacecraft in which she went into space, the Boeing Starliner, has faced several glitches. Both Sunita Williams and her co-passenger Butch Wilmore are safe on the ISS, along with seven other crew members who live in the “mini-city in space” – the ISS.
Ms. Williams arrived at the ISS on June 5 aboard a Boeing Starliner. It was supposed to be a 10-day mission, but has been extended twice since then because of problems with the small rockets that help bring the crew back to Earth, and because Boeing Starliner suffered problems on its first crewed flight because of a helium leak.
NASA says there is no time constraint for the crew to leave the station, as there are ample supplies on orbit, and station time is relatively open until mid-August.
Initially, Ms Williams was supposed to possibly return on June 14, but this was cancelled and a new date of June 26 was set by NASA, this too has been postponed and the new date has not been announced yet.
“NASA and Boeing leadership are adjusting the Starliner Crew Flight Test spacecraft’s return to Earth with agency astronauts aboard. The move on Wednesday, June 26, will postpone Starliner’s undocking and landing from a series of planned International Space Station spacewalks while giving mission teams time to review propulsion system data,” a statement said.
Five of the Boeing Starliner’s 28 thrusters are having problems and the spacecraft has suffered five helium leaks. Experts say at least 14 thrusters are needed for a safe return.
Boeing says, “Starliner has completed 77 of the original 87 flight test objectives, and the remaining 10 will be completed between undocking and landing.”
NASA says mission managers are evaluating future return opportunities after the station’s two planned spacewalks on Monday, June 24, and Tuesday, July 2. So it’s possible that Ms. Williams’ stay on her third mission to space will be about a month long.
“Starliner is performing well in orbit while attached to the space station,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s commercial crew program.
“We are strategically using the extra time to clear the way for some critical station activities, while also completing preparations for Butch and Suni’s return to Starliner and gaining valuable insight into systems upgrades for post-certification missions.”
Boeing has faced multiple setbacks in the development of the Starliner and it was initially scheduled to be completed with a $4.2 billion contract, but with a total of $5.7 billion spent so far and the mission still unfinished, the road ahead remains difficult.
NASA wanted an alternative to SpaceX’s Crew Dragon and so the Boeing Starliner was being pushed forward. Boeing in general is going through a rough patch and its aviation and aircraft business is also faltering.
NASA said Wilmore and Williams will remain with the Expedition 71 crew, assisting with station operations as needed and completing additional flight objectives toward NASA certification of the Starliner.
Ms Williams, a qualified Navy test pilot, has previously travelled to space twice in 2006 and 2012 and according to NASA data, before this Starliner mission, Sunita has spent a total of 322 days in space.
“With seven spacewalks totaling 50 hours and 40 minutes, Sunita held the record for total cumulative spacewalk time by a female astronaut, but this record has now been broken by Peggy Whitson with 10 spacewalks.”
Ms. Williams helped design the Boeing Starliner, so she should be familiar with all its details.
Such delays in the first missions are not unexpected
“We’re taking our time and following our standard mission management team process,” Stich said.
“We are making decisions based on the data about what we are doing to manage the small helium system leaks and thruster performance we observed during rendezvous and docking. Additionally, given the duration of the mission, it is appropriate for us to complete an agency-level review, similar to what NASA did before SpaceX Demo-2 returns after two months in orbit, to document the agency’s formal approval if the mission proceeds as planned.”
In the meantime, the astronaut community is praying for the safe return of Ms Williams and Mr Wilmore, but it could be embarrassing for Boeing if SpaceX’s Crew Dragon is used to rescue astronauts stranded on the space station.
“The crew feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, and they know that what we learn from crew flight testing will enrich and enhance the experience for future crews,” said Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager for Boeing’s Starliner program.
