Following helium leaks and engine problems with Boeing’s Starliner capsule, NASA has postponed the return date from the International Space Station.
On Friday, the agency announced that there is no longer a planned return date. Instead, they will continue testing the capsule, trying to understand its problems and see if they can fix them. There are plenty of supplies on the station, so there is no urgent need to return the two astronauts to Earth.
NASA has decided to cancel the launch scheduled for Wednesday, June 26, due to scheduling conflicts with a series of planned spacewalks on the ISS scheduled for today (Monday, June 24) and Tuesday, July 2. The postponement also gives mission teams time to review propulsion and systems data.
After years of delays and two recently aborted launch attempts, Starliner finally launched on June 5, 2024 with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on board.
Although two of the spacecraft’s engines failed during the flight, the spacecraft managed to reach the ISS and deliver 500 pounds (227 kg) of cargo. In addition, five small leaks were discovered on the service module, and the crew and ground teams performed safety checks.
“We are taking our time and following our standard process for mission management teams,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, in a NASA blog post.
“We are letting the data guide our decisions regarding how to manage the small helium system leaks and engine performance we observed during rendezvous and docking. In addition, given the duration of the mission, it is appropriate that we conduct an agency-level review, similar to that conducted prior to NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 return after two months in orbit, to document formal agency approval to proceed as planned.”
This first manned flight of the Starliner was intended to validate the spacecraft as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP) and in the hope that it could, together with SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, make regular deliveries of cargo and crew to the ISS.
This mission is the Starliner’s second flight to the ISS and the third flight test overall. During the first unmanned test flight (OFT-1), which took place in December 2019, the Starliner’s launch was successful, but it did not reach the ISS.
After completing 61 corrective actions recommended by NASA, another attempt was made on May 22, 2022 (OFT-2). This flight successfully docked with the ISS, remaining there for four days before undocking and landing at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
Wilmore and Williams are now working with the Expedition 71 crew, supporting station operations as needed and completing additional flight objectives for NASA certification of the Starliner.
Stich said that despite all the problems in orbit, the Starliner is performing well while docked to the space station.
“We are using the additional time strategically to clear the way for some critical station activities as we complete preparations for Butch and Suni’s return with the Starliner,” he said, “and we are gaining valuable insight into the system updates we plan to perform for post-certification missions.”
Mission managers will review future return options for the Starliner, and NASA said it will hold a media conference call with mission management following a readiness review.
NASA added that the Starliner is indeed cleared to return if there is an emergency on the space station that requires deorbiting and the crew to return to Earth.
This article was originally published by Universe Today. Read the original article.