Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule, might remain in space until mid-August as engineers work through technical issues delaying their return.
The mission, which began on June 6 with the Starliner’s first crewed docking, was initially set to last about a week but has been extended due to thruster failures and helium leaks.
In their first news conference from orbit, Wilmore and Williams expressed confidence in the Starliner’s ability to bring them home safely. Despite the delays, they are making the most of their extended stay on the International Space Station (ISS), contributing to the station’s activities and enjoying their time in orbit. “I have a real good feeling in my heart that the spacecraft will bring us home, no problem,” Williams assured reporters.
NASA’s Projected Return Timeline
NASA’s commercial crew program manager, Steve Stich, stated that the earliest return date for the astronauts might be the end of July, although this is tentative. The goal is to return them before SpaceX delivers a new crew in mid-August.
Stich emphasized that a thorough review process will precede any decision to proceed with undocking and landing. “Some of the data suggests optimistically, maybe it’s by the end of July, but we’ll just follow the data each step at a time,” he said.
ISS Supplies Ensure No Immediate Risk
The ISS, currently hosting its regular crew of seven plus the two Starliner astronauts, has sufficient supplies and resources, ensuring no immediate risk to the crew.
This allows engineers time to perform ground fire evaluations of replica thrusters at NASA’s White Sands test facility in New Mexico and address the helium leak issues, which could be resolved by the end of this week.
Engineers Tackle Thruster and Helium Issues
The propulsion system experienced significant issues during the mission.
On June 6, a day after liftoff, five thrusters failed as the capsule approached the space station. Since then, four thrusters have been reactivated. Wilmore is confident that there are enough functioning thrusters to safely return them to Earth, with larger engines available as a backup if needed.
Stich noted that the thrusters were used more frequently than expected early in the flight, which may have led to their failure.
Ground tests are considered essential by Boeing and NASA to understand these issues, as the service module containing this propulsion system is discarded before reentry. The tests aim to recreate the flight’s high temperatures to determine if they contributed to the thruster malfunctions.
Additionally, ground tests are ongoing to investigate helium leaks, potentially caused by bad seals. Despite these leaks, there is sufficient helium for the return trip.
Hurricane Beryl recently interrupted some testing activities, with the Johnson Space Center in Houston limiting operations to essential personnel. Boeing’s Mark Nappi emphasized that in an emergency, the Starliner could return immediately, though the company seeks to confirm that the thrusters are undamaged through comprehensive testing.
Reflecting on the Mission’s Challenges
The mission has faced significant hurdles, echoing Boeing’s recent public relations challenges stemming from other safety-related incidents, such as the crashes of two 737 Max airliners.
Nonetheless, Wilmore and Williams remain unconcerned by the technical problems, reflecting on the inherent difficulties of human spaceflight. “This is the world of test. This is a tough business that we’re in, human spaceflight is not easy in any regime, and there have been multiple issues with every spacecraft that’s ever been designed,” Wilmore noted.
NASA confirmed there have been no discussions with SpaceX about deploying a rescue capsule, maintaining confidence in the Starliner’s capability to complete its mission once the current issues are resolved.
Featured Image courtesy of Getty Images/Stocktrek
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