NASA and Boeing have ruled out the return of the Starliner spacecraft to land in the next two weeks. Meanwhile, they are taking extra time to continue analyzing the failures detected during their docking with the International Space Station (ISS). On private manufacturer Boeing’s first manned mission to the ISS, Captain Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams arrived in the capsule—named Calypso, like Jacques Cousteau’s ship— on June 6 to the station with the initial plan of staying there eight days. After successive delays, the cancellation of the return scheduled for tomorrow the 26th means that, barring an emergency, the two American astronauts will spend at least a month there.
In a statement published by the US space agency, NASA and Boeing have explained the reasons for this postponement, without communicating a new date. Firstly, it is about preventing the return of the Starliner from coinciding close to two space walks scheduled for this week and next; and this will also allow us to continue analyzing the failures detected in the propulsion systems upon reaching the ISS. Steve Stich, director of NASA’s commercial human flight program, said: “We are taking our time and following the standard process of our mission management team. “We are letting the data guide our decision making regarding the management of small helium system leaks and the performance of the thrusters that we observe during rendezvous and docking.”
Although there is still no return date, it will not occur before July 2, date of the second of the planned space walks. From then on, “the ISS agenda is relatively clear until mid-August,” explains the NASA statement, which states that there is no rush for the two astronauts to return to earth, since there are enough space stations on the space station. provisions. In addition, the US agency clarifies that, in the event of an emergency on the ISS, Wilmore and Williams are authorized to take the Starliner ship and return at any time.
NASA conveys peace of mind regarding the state of the capsule and compares this situation with that of the first manned flight of a Crew Dragon to the International Space Station. On that occasion, in 2020, the SpaceX ship also underwent an exhaustive review before scheduling the details of its return, after two months in orbit. However, there are important differences between both cases. On the one hand, the Starliner is only certified to remain docked with the ISS for 45 days, so its theoretical return date is July 21. And furthermore, there were no incidents at that Crew Dragon premiere.
Starliner is a partially reusable spacecraft modelmade up of a capsule that can be used in up to 10 missions and a disposable service module, which are launched into space using an Atlas V rocket. Reusability is already a reality with Calypso, the Starliner capsule from this first manned mission; He is traveling to space for the second time, although he already had problems on his previous test flight, in which he failed to dock with the ISS and had to return to Earth early.
SpaceX still has no competitors
Problems with helium fuel leaks have caused multiple delays in this first manned Starliner mission. With this ship, Boeing intends to compete with SpaceX’s Crew Dragon to offer NASA a regular transportation line to space, from the ISS to future stations in low Earth orbit. The first helium leak was detected in preliminary tests for the launch of the Starliner, which took off a month late than the initially planned date. Upon reaching the space station, it was unable to dock on the first attempt due to the unforeseen behavior of five thrusters and, later, five helium leaks were detected – the maximum expected – and a faulty valve in the service module. NASA has explained that, despite the leaks, there is enough fuel for the return and a valve to replace the defective one.
However, even if this mission ends up being successful, the problems and delays cast doubt on when the Starliner will be able to reach its next milestone: obtaining certification for six-month space missions. Without this approval, which was scheduled for 2025, Boeing’s commercial spacecraft will not be able to carry out its promised regular flights. Its rival, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, has already had this space license since 2020; and he achieved it on the first try.
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