Two NASA astronauts find themselves stranded aboard the International Space Station (ISS) due to ongoing technical problems with their spacecraft, a Boeing Starliner. The astronauts, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, initially arrived at the ISS on June 6 and were scheduled to return after a week.
During a press conference on Tuesday, NASA and Boeing disclosed that Williams and Wilmore’s return to Earth has been postponed to June 26, as experts continue to address the spacecraft’s issues.
The Boeing CST-100 Starliner encountered multiple mechanical problems during its first manned launch on June 6. The crew reported issues with five thrusters and four helium leaks during their journey to the ISS, with another leak identified shortly after. Before the flight, Boeing had acknowledged a “small helium leak” but assured that it was not a critical “safety of flight issue” and could be managed.
Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, explained that the delay is due to the agency wanting “to give our teams a little bit more time to look at the data, do some analysis, and make sure we’re really ready to come home.”
Stich also emphasized that NASA does not currently foresee a situation where the astronauts would be unable to return on the Starliner. The return trip is scheduled for June 26, targeting a landing in the White Sands area of New Mexico. If this attempt fails, the next opportunity would be a week later, on July 2.
Despite the prolonged delay, NASA’s Dana Weigel, who oversees the agency’s ISS program, stated that the crew remains in good spirits. Mark Nappi, Boeing’s vice president and program manager for the Commercial Crew Program, echoed this sentiment, noting that the crew is using the extra time as an “opportunity” to complete additional work.
