Astronauts from Boeing's Starliner were supposed to be in space for 8 days. Now they're stuck there with no scheduled return date.
Delays at the International Space Station
Boeing's Starliner is stuck at the International Space Station — for now. The two astronauts on board arrived at the ISS on June 6 and were scheduled to spend eight days in space. However, NASA and Boeing announced on Friday that their return date had been pushed back again.
Delayed Return of Astronauts
The return of two astronauts on board Boeing's first crewed commercial spacecraft has been delayed — again. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams went up to the International Space Station on June 6 after a series of delays that postponed the craft's launch by a month.
Return Date Postponed
The astronauts were originally supposed to stay docked in space for eight to 10 days, per a June 6 statement from Boeing. However, 12 days after the crew arrived at the ISS, Boeing announced that their return to White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico had been delayed to June 26.
Reasons for the Delay
On Friday, the aviation company said the return was delayed again to assess issues on board and to make time for two spacewalks. The delay comes after five helium leaks were detected on board the spacecraft. Helium supports the spacecraft's reaction control system (RCS) thrusters, allowing them to fire.
Future Return Opportunities
"Mission managers are evaluating future return opportunities following the station's two planned spacewalks on Monday, June 24, and Tuesday, July 2," Boeing said in its statement. However, Boeing has not provided a new scheduled date for the astronauts' return.
Astronauts' Experience in Space
The voyage to the ISS isn't Wilmore's and Williams' first time in space. Suni Williams had spent a total of 322 days in space before the Starliner project, while Butch Wilmore logged 178 days in space before the Starliner launch.
Boeing's Position in Commercial Space Transport
This is the first instance of Boeing sending up a crewed spacecraft in an attempt to break into the commercial human-space transport business. However, the company now lags behind Elon Musk's SpaceX, which has been sending astronauts to space since 2020.
Challenges for Boeing
Preceding the Starliner's launch, Elon Musk criticized Boeing by stating they were weighed down by "too many non-technical managers." Additionally, Boeing has faced issues on Earth, with incidents like a door plug coming off a Boeing 737 Max 9 Alaska Airlines jet at 16,000 feet in January.
Several Boeing whistleblowers have raised concerns about quality control practices within the company. Boeing and NASA have not responded to requests for comments from Business Insider as of yet.
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By: abharade@insider.com (Aditi Bharade)
Title: Boeing’s Starliner Astronauts Stuck in Space with No Return Date
Sourced From: www.businessinsider.com/boeing-nasa-starliner-astronauts-stuck-in-space-2024-6
Published Date: Tue, 25 Jun 2024 04:05:49 +0000
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