It’s been almost two months since Boeing Space’s Starliner spacecraft docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on its first crewed flight.
The mission was only supposed to last about a week, but issues with the spacecraft’s thrusters, as well as a helium leak, have forced engineers to put off a return flight until they can be certain that the Starliner is up to it.
As part of work to try to understand the current state of the Starliner, NASA conducted a hot fire test several days ago involving the Starliner’s thrusters, which are vital for putting the spacecraft into the correct trajectory for entering Earth’s atmosphere when it finally brings home crew members Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore.
In a new update shared on Wednesday, Boeing Space said: “Practiced, prepared, checked out, refilled, and inspected — the Starliner team is proceeding through checklists to be ready for return when a date is chosen.”
Tuesday was spent going through procedures for the undocking process, with teams on the ground occupying their consoles in the Mission Control Center in Houston and in Boeing’s Mission Control Center (BMCC) at Kennedy Space Center.
“On Sunday, the Starliner and NASA teams worked together in Boeing’s Avionics and Software Integration Lab (ASIL) to develop, test, and deliver updated data parameters for potential returns throughout August,” Boeing said. “The crew also entered their spacecraft Monday to refill its water systems and to pressure check their spacesuits.”
Williams and Wilmore also completed a routine exterior inspection of Starliner using the robotic Canadarm located outside the space station.
Notably, the Starliner’s batteries were originally cleared for 45 days in space, but engineers have now said that the batteries are good f0r 90 days. That limit will be up toward the end of August, so we should expect a resolution to the ongoing issue in the next few weeks.
There are a number of possible outcomes. NASA could deem the Starliner safe for a crewed return and proceed as planned. Alternatively, the space agency may decide, out of an abundance of caution, to bring the Starliner home crewless. In that case, Williams and Wilmore will either have to hitch a ride with a SpaceX Crew Dragon that’s currently docked at the ISS, or wait for SpaceX to send an empty Crew Dragon to collect them. NASA has insisted that the two astronauts are not stranded.
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