Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) strapped into their “lifeboat vehicles” and prepared for an emergency evacuation after a malfunctioning Russian satellite shattered into hundreds of pieces.
That included Boeing’s infected Starliner spacecraft, which officials said could reach Earth if debris hit the ISS.
“We used Starliner for this safe harbor,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP).
“(The astronauts) boarded the spacecraft, powered up the vehicle, closed the hatch and were ready to perform the … emergency unlock (from the ISS) and land.”
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Starliner’s June 5 launch, with astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore aboard, was Boeing’s first manned expedition to the ISS since 2014, when Boeing and NASA agreed to a $4.2 billion public-private partnership.
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Helium leaks in the propulsion system and faulty thrusters turned the week-long mission into an indefinite stay in space.
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The Starliner is docked at the ISS while engineers gather data to fix the problems.
The helium leaks “are all stable and do not pose a concern for the return mission,” according to Boeing, and four of the five jets that were shut down “are operating normally.”
“I want to be very clear that Butch and Suni are not stuck in space,” Stich said during a teleconference Friday with about two dozen news outlets. “Our plan is to continue returning them on the Starliner and bring them home at the right time.”
It is not known when it will be.
Reporters peppered Boeing and NASA with questions, seeking details about their plans to bring Williams and Wilmore home and questioning officials’ assertions that the astronauts are not stranded, even though there is no timetable for their return.
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“We have a little more work to do to get to the final return,” Stich said. “We’re in no rush to get home.
NASA and Boeing have repeatedly said the astronauts are safe and “in good spirits,” stressing that this is a good opportunity to collect more data.
Preparations for further testing on Earth are in motion. The jets have been transported to NASA’s White Sands Test Facility in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, where testing could begin as early as Tuesday.
That is expected to take “a couple of weeks,” according to Stich, adding that it will determine the timetable for the astronauts’ return home.
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“This is our opportunity to examine the jet as we had it in space, with close inspection on the ground,” he said.
Boeing said in a previous email to Fox News Digital that it was imperative to take advantage of the time they had and gather as much data as possible because the troubled service module, where the helium leak occurred and where the faulty jets are located, is being taken out when the crew leaves ISS.
They burn up in the atmosphere on reentry, so they cannot be tested.
Boeing and SpaceX funded by Elon Musk programs are key players in NASA’s CCP, which would allow NASA to send astronauts and cargo to the ISS without relying on Russia.
The CCP began under former President Obama in 2010, a year before NASA retired the space shuttle after 30 years.
The US relied on Russia to transport cargo and astronauts to the ISS, spending about $90 million per astronaut for each round trip.
In 2014, Boeing and SpaceX won contracts with NASA after a long competition, bringing the average cost per astronaut below $70 million.
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SpaceX has had several successful manned launches since its first in 2020.
Starliner’s June 5 launch was Boeing’s first manned expedition to the ISS, but a series of problems turned the weeklong mission into an indefinite stay in space.
Officials stressed Friday that it was a “test flight” and supplies were plentiful. They said Williams and Wilmore were “in good spirits.”
Original article source: The Starliner was the astronauts’ “lifeboat” should a broken Russian satellite hit the space station; still no return date