Bengaluru: NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are still stuck inside the International Space Station (ISS) after two failed attempts to return to Earth onboard the Starliner spacecraft, which is docked to the ISS. The duo was scheduled to fly out on the Starliner first on 14 June, and then on 26 June, but their return was cancelled each time after the spacecraft suffered multiple hardware issues including helium leaks and malfunctioning thrusters.
Williams is now the first woman to pilot a new spacecraft on its maiden crewed mission. Boeing’s Starliner launched into space on 5 June, and Williams and Wilmore were originally supposed to spend a week at the ISS. The next attempt to get them back to Earth will be sometime after 2 July.
What has happened with the spacecraft and how are the astronauts doing? ThePrint explains the latest developments.
What is the aim of this mission and what is the problem with the Starliner currently?
The Starliner is Boeing’s spacecraft developed to fly humans regularly to the International Space Station. This was the Starliner’s maiden flight, and is a test crew mission. It is currently docked at the ISS, with the crew inside the space station.
According to reports, whistleblowers have claimed that NASA and Boeing were aware of liquid helium leaks — helium is used to power the spacecraft’s thrusters — in the Starliner as it flew the astronauts to the ISS earlier this month. Officials detected a leak in the helium tank of the spacecraft, but the problem was deemed too minor to delay the mission, according to a CBS News report. This had followed yet another leak that had postponed the launch of the craft earlier.
Once it reached orbit after 25 hours, the spacecraft however suffered four additional helium leaks. This left five thrusters unusable, of which four are now operating normally.
Engineers in NASA and Boeing are assessing the functioning and safety of the spacecraft before the crew of two can fly back on it.
Are the astronauts stuck in space?
Williams and Wilmore are not in outer space, but safely inside the ISS. Here, they have access to food, resources, means of communication, and enough space to stay and carry on their regular activities.
The station is equipped for long-term stay and is resupplied constantly by missions from Earth. Currently, there are five other astronauts on board.
NASA has refuted claims that the astronauts are stuck in space, maintaining that the spacecraft can still be undocked and flown under emergency conditions. However, while the two astronauts can stay on the ISS for a longer period, the Starliner itself cannot. It is docked to the ISS docking module called Harmony, and due to Harmony’s limited fuel capacity, Starliner can only stay for 45 days for a safe return flight. Beyond this time, it might not be able to undock safely from the ISS and the astronauts will require alternate transport back.
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft has the capability to fly the astronauts back if needed, as does the Russian Soyuz. Both are crew transport vehicles, launched as and when scheduled.
How many times has their return been delayed so far?
The astronauts were scheduled to return to Earth in a six-hour trip on 13 June, and have since faced two delays. Currently, they are expected to fly back on or after July 2.
This was the Starliner’s first successful flight. It came after the first launch itself was delayed by many years in the programme.
What have NASA and Boeing said?
A Boeing spokesperson told The Guardian that the return has been adjusted to happen after two planned spacewalks on Monday (24 June) and Tuesday (2 July). The spokesperson added that there is no confirmed date for return, and that the crew is “not pressed for time” to leave since they have ample supplies.
NASA has stated that the spacecraft needs free-flight time of seven hours for the mission and is currently equipped for a 70-hour flight after undocking. At a press event last week, NASA’s commercial crew programme manager said, “We are taking our time and following our standard mission management team process. We are letting the data drive our decision making relative to managing the small helium system leaks and thruster performance we observed during rendezvous and docking.”
How will this impact Boeing?
This comes at a time when Boeing continues to face criticism globally for its deterioration of quality in aircraft and frequent malfunctions, along with nearly 20 whistleblowers having come forward with safety issues.
The docked Starliner’s problems have added to Boeing’s costs, with the programme already having exceeded the $4.5 billion NASA budget by $1.5 billion. The programme itself has faced years of delays.
Currently, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon is the only private spacecraft that flies crew to the ISS. Starliner is touted to become an alternative.
How many people are in space right now?
There are a total of 10 people in space — five expedition members and two Starliner crew on the ISS, and three onboard the Chinese space station Tiangong. The next crewed mission to the ISS is also contracted to fly on the Starliner 1 in early 2025.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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