WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Boeing (NYSE:) Starliner spacecraft is scheduled to undock from the International Space Station and return to Earth on June 22 with its inaugural crew of astronauts, NASA said on Friday, giving more time to complete planning for the complicated process.
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were launched aboard Starliner on June 5 and arrived at the ISS the next day, after a 24-hour flight in which the spacecraft encountered four helium leaks and five malfunctions. in its 28 maneuvering thrusters.
“The additional time allows the team to finalize egress planning and operations while the spacecraft remains cleared for emergency crew return scenarios within flight rules,” NASA and Boeing said in a statement.
Their goal is a departure no earlier than June 22, which leaves open the opportunity to extend time on 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 about six hours and will target a location in the Utah desert, New Mexico or other backup locations, depending on local weather conditions.
Starliner's first flight with astronauts is a crucial last test in a long-delayed and overbudgeted program before NASA can certify the spacecraft for routine astronaut missions and add a second U.S. crew vehicle to its fleet, along with with SpaceX's Crew Dragon.
The spacecraft during its time docked at the ISS has encountered more problems. A fifth leak of helium, used to pressurize the thrusters in Starliner's propulsion system, occurred, and an oxidizer valve jammed, NASA said.
Those in-flight problems follow years of other challenges Boeing has faced with Starliner, including a failure in an uncrewed test in 2019 where dozens of software glitches, design issues and management issues impeded its ability to dock with the ISS. A repeated uncrewed test in 2022 managed to dock.
If all goes as planned with the return of two Starliner astronauts to Earth, Boeing still faces other challenges before making the spacecraft operational and bringing it to market for other non-NASA customers.
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