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Boeing’s Starliner Mission Delayed – What’s Next?
Boeing’s first crewed Starliner mission, which successfully ferried astronauts to the International Space Station, will now need to wait a little longer before returning its crew to Earth. The Crew Flight Test (CFT) for Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft launched on June 5 with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on board. The spacecraft docked at the ISS the next day, with the mission’s objective being a full on-orbit shakedown of the spacecraft originally set to last about a week. However, the pair won’t return home until June 22 at the earliest.
“We are continuing to understand the capabilities of Starliner to prepare for the long-term goal of having it perform a six-month docked mission at the space station,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, in a mission blog post.
Extended Stay and Additional Tests
In the meantime, CFT crew members Wilmore and Williams will perform additional checks on Starliner, including a “hot-fire” test of seven of the spacecraft’s eight aft thrusters and a review of hatch operations. They will also perform “safe haven” drills to prepare the capsule in case of an emergency.
“We have an incredible opportunity to spend more time at the station and perform more tests which provides invaluable data unique to our position,” said Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager for Boeing’s Commercial Crew Program.
This is the second delay in Starliner’s scheduled return date. The first delay was announced on June 9, pushing Wilmore and Williams’ return to June 18 due to ISS residents requiring more time to prepare for an extravehicular activity (EVA) originally planned for June 13. The EVA was canceled, however, due to “spacesuit discomfort” about an hour before NASA astronauts Tracy Dyson and Matt Dominick were set to exit the station.
Press Briefing and Future Plans
Now, Wilmore and Williams will spend an extra four days aboard the space station, extending their total stay to just over two weeks. NASA has scheduled a press briefing for Tuesday, June 18, to elaborate further on the new departure date and to review weather conditions for the June 22 landing target.
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