The astronauts who are onboard the Boeing Starliner are stuck in space for days longer than anticipated. On Tuesday, Boeing shared a press release.
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“Teams from NASA and Boeing now are targeting no earlier than 10:10 p.m. EDT Tuesday, June 25, for the undocking of the Starliner spacecraft from the International Space Station. For the primary undocking opportunity, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, the first crew to fly aboard Starliner, would land about 4:51 a.m. on Wednesday, June 26, at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.”
Originally, the spacecraft launched on June 5 and was projected to return on June 14. However, the craft encountered helium leaks and service module thruster issues.
Astronauts Stuck in Space For Another Week Due to Boeing Starliner Issues
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are operating the craft. Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s commercial crew program, said the two “are doing well.” Additionally, they are “anxious to understand every aspect of Starliner that we can.”
“We want to give our teams a little bit more time to look at the data, do some analysis, and make sure we’re really ready to come home,” said Stich.
“You know this is a test flight we’re taking our time to understand the vehicle and also understand the service module,” he continued. “The service module is a component that we don’t get back, as you know.”
Additionally, “After we execute the deorbit burn, it burns up in the atmosphere, and so we’re taking our time to understand that service module and the things that we’ve had happen relative to the helium leaks and also the thruster fail-offs at docking,” Stich said. “You know, safety is in most part of our mind as we approach the problems and look toward the return of Butch and Sunny.”