Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft recently completed its first crewed test flight to the International Space Station, docking on June 6, 2024 with two NASA astronauts onboard.
However, the crew has had an extended stay on the ISS due to issues with some of Starliner’s thrusters. While there is no danger, fixing the thrusters is important for the spacecraft’s certification.
The astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, were originally expected to stay only 8 days but have now been in space for over a month as engineers troubleshoot the thruster problems.
Boeing is continuing ground tests to diagnose the faulty thrusters and believes Starliner has enough fuel to return the crew safely, but wants more data before undocking.
No official return date has been set yet, though Boeing expects the astronauts may fly home by the end of July to avoid conflicting with a new SpaceX crew arrival in mid-August.
Once the astronauts return, Boeing will work to certify Starliner for operational crewed missions to fully transport NASA astronauts regularly along with SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft.
Source: Mashable
