In an update released late Friday evening, NASA said it was “adjusting” the Starliner spacecraft’s return date to Earth from June 26 to an unspecified time in July.
The announcement followed a two-day long meeting to review the readiness of the Boeing-developed spacecraft to fly NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to Earth. Those meetings included high-level participation from the agency’s senior leaders, including Deputy Administrator Jim Free, according to sources.
Launched on June 5 atop an Atlas V rocket, this “crewed flight test” was originally scheduled to undock and return to Earth on June 14. But the station gave up several chances to return as NASA and Boeing engineers studied data from the troubled vehicle’s international spaceflight.
They did so again Friday night, noting that they needed to spend more time reviewing the data.
“Take your time”
“We are taking our time and following standard mission management team processes,” Steve Stich, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program manager, said in a NASA update. “We are using data to drive decision-making related to managing the small helium system leaks and thruster performance we observed during rendezvous and docking.”
Just a few days ago, on Tuesday, NASA and Boeing officials set June 26 as the date for its return to Earth. But that was before a series of meetings on Thursday and Friday where mission managers will review findings on two important issues related to spaceflight. Starliner spacecraft: Five separate leaks occurred in the helium system that pressurizes the Starliner’s propulsion system, and five of the vehicle’s 28 response control system thrusters failed as the Starliner approached the station.
The NASA update did not provide any information about the deliberations during this meeting, but did indicate that agency leaders were comfortable with all contingencies Wilmore and Williams might face during their return flight to Earth, including safely undocking in space. It is clear that this was not acceptable. Travel away from the station, perform a deorbit burn, separate the crew capsule from the service module, and fly through the planet’s atmosphere before landing by parachute in the New Mexico desert.
There is a 45-day limit on spacecraft.
Now NASA and Boeing engineering teams will take some more time. Sources say NASA has considered June 30 as a return date, but is also keen on conducting a pair of spacewalks outside the station. These spacewalks, currently planned for June 24 and July 2, will now go ahead. Starliner is scheduled to return to Earth before the Fourth of July holiday.
“We are strategically using the additional time to complete preparations for Butch and Suni’s return to the Starliner and gain valuable insight into the system upgrades we will undertake for post-certification missions, while also clearing the path for some critical station activities,” Stich said. “He said.
In some ways, it is beneficial for NASA and Boeing to dock the Starliner at the space station for long periods of time. They can collect more data about vehicle performance on long-duration missions. Eventually, Starliner will conduct operational missions that will allow astronauts to remain in orbit for six months at a time.
But the vehicle is only rated for a 45-day stay on the space station, and that clock starts on June 6. Moreover, it is not optimal for NASA to feel the need to keep delaying the vehicle to get used to its capabilities. A journey back to Earth. In two press conferences since the Starliner docked at the station, officials have downplayed the overall severity of the problem. Starliners have repeatedly said they can return home “in case of an emergency.” But they have yet to fully explain why they are not yet comfortable launching the Starliner to return to Earth under normal circumstances.
