NASA and Boeing officials on Friday pushed back the headlines that the commercial Starliner crew capsule was stuck on the International Space Station, but said they needed more time to analyze the data before formally clearing the spacecraft for detachment and return.
Two NASA astronauts, Commander Butch Wilmore and Pilot Suni Williams, will spend at least a few more weeks on the space station while engineers on the ground conduct thrust tests to better understand problems with the Starliner’s propulsion system in orbit. Wilmore and Williams launched on June 5 aboard an Atlas V rocket and docked with the station the following day, completing the first segment of the Starliner’s first test flight with astronauts.
NASA managers originally planned for the Starliner probe to remain docked to the space station for at least eight days, though they left open the possibility of extending the mission. The test flight is now likely to take at least a month and a half, and possibly longer, as engineers grapple with helium leaks and jet failures on the Starliner’s service module.
The batteries in that Starliner spacecraft were originally certified for only a 45-day mission duration, but NASA officials said they are considering extending the limit after confirming the batteries are working well.
“We have the luxury of time,” said Ken Bowersox, associate administrator for NASA’s Space Operations Directorate. “We’re still in the middle of a test mission. We’re still pushing forward.”
Previously, NASA and Boeing officials had pushed back the Starliner’s return and landing from mid-June, then from June 26, and have now bypassed a potential opportunity for an early July landing. Last week, NASA said in a statement that the agency’s top management would meet to formally assess the Starliner’s readiness for return, which was not part of the original plan.
“We’re not stuck on the ISS”
Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s commercial crew program, said Friday he wanted to clear up a “misunderstanding” that has led to headlines claiming the Starliner spacecraft is stranded or stranded on the space station.
“I want to be clear that Butch and Suni are not stuck in space,” Stich said. “Our plan is to continue to return them to the Starliner and bring them home at the right time.” We have to do a little more work to get there for the final return, but they’re safe on the (space) station.”
When the Starliner is docked, the space station currently hosts three different spacecraft crews, including SpaceX’s Crew Dragon and Russia’s Soyuz. No serious plans are being considered to bring Wilmore and Williams home on another spacecraft.
“Obviously we have the luxury of having multiple vehicles and we’re working on contingency plans for a lot of different scenarios, but right now we’re really focused on getting Butch and Suni back on the Starliner,” Stich said.
“We’re not stuck on the ISS,” said Mark Nappi, Boeing’s vice president in charge of the Starliner program. “It’s quite painful to read the stuff that’s out there. We’ve had a really good test flight that’s been done so far, and it’s seen rather negatively.”
Stich said NASA officials should “communicate more frequently” with reporters to fill in gaps in information about the Starliner test flight. NASA’s written updates are not always timely and often lack detail and context.
NASA officials have authorized the Starliner spacecraft to make an emergency return to Earth if astronauts need to evacuate the space station for safety or health reasons. But NASA has not yet approved the Starliner for return and landing under “nominal” conditions.
“When there’s an emergency, we’re ready to put a crew on the spacecraft and bring it home as a lifeboat,” Bowersox said. “For nominal input, we want to look more at the data before we make the final call to put the crew on board the vehicle, and it’s a serious enough call that we’re going to put together a senior management team (for approval).”