Boeing Starliner not ready to return to Earth – leaving astronauts on the International Space Station

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Boeing’s troubled Starliner spacecraft will stay at the International Space Station longer than expected, just the latest in a series of problems involving the capsule.

This means that astronauts who were transported to the space station on a mission earlier this month will have to stay there longer than expected, returning on June 22. They might end up staying there longer.

NASA said the delayed return would allow NASA and Boeing to spend more time planning the astronauts’ return and their journey back to Earth.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams launched aboard the Starliner on June 5 and arrived at the ISS the next day, after a 24-hour flight during which the spacecraft encountered four helium leaks and five failures of its 28 maneuvering thrusters.

“The additional time allows the team to finalize departure planning and operations while the spacecraft remains authorized to conduct emergency crew return scenarios within the framework of the flight rules,” the statement said. NASA and Boeing in a press release.

They are aiming for a departure no earlier than June 22, leaving open the possibility of further extensions of stay at the ISS. Starliner, although designed for future six-month missions, can remain docked with the ISS for up to 45 days during its current mission.

The return to Earth is expected to last approximately six hours and target a desert location in Utah, New Mexico, or other backup locations, depending on local weather conditions.

Starliner’s first flight with astronauts is a crucial final test in a much-delayed and over-budget program before NASA can certify the spacecraft for routine astronaut missions and add a second U.S. crew vehicle to its fleet , alongside SpaceX’s Crew Dragon.

The spacecraft, while docking with the ISS, encountered more problems. A fifth leak of helium – used to pressurize the thrusters in the Starliner’s propulsion system – appeared, and separately, an oxidizer valve remained blocked, NASA said.

These in-flight problems follow years of other challenges Boeing faced with Starliner, including a failed uncrewed test in 2019 in which dozens of software glitches, design issues and management issues prevented its ability to dock with the ISS. A repeated uncrewed test in 2022 successfully docked.

If all goes as planned with Starliner returning two astronauts to Earth, Boeing will still face other challenges before making the spacecraft operational and marketing it to other non-Nasa customers.

Additional reporting by agencies