Boeing and NASA delay Starliner astronaut return to June 22, nearly doubling mission time to test spacecraft

Before the June 5 launch, Boeing and NASA had planned for Starliner to be in space for nine days.

But Calypso’s mission is now expected to return to Earth on June 22, departing the ISS at 11:42 PM ET on June 21 before landing about six and a half hours later at 6:26 AM ET. That means the Starliner crew flight test will now last at least 17 days, about double the original plan, for further spacecraft testing.

NASA said these tests included operating the capsule’s hatch, firing seven thrusters and monitoring cabin air temperatures while the program’s managers and astronauts “complete departure planning and operations.”

The agency also noted that Starliner would “repeat a number of ‘safe harbor’ tests,” but did not explain why that was necessary. A safe harbor test is when astronauts on the ISS use a spacecraft as a shelter during an emergency. NASA said that “the spacecraft remains clear within flight rules for crew emergency scenarios,” referring to the possible scenario of an unexpected evacuation of the astronauts from the ISS.

NASA, after publishing an update on Friday, postponed CNBC’s request for further clarification until a press conference to be held on Tuesday before the scheduled departure.

The crew flight test represents a final major step before NASA certifies Boeing to fly crew members on six-month operational missions. But as with the previous two spaceflights that were detached, Starliner runs into several problems during the mission.

Before launch, one leak in Calypso’s helium propulsion system was identified. The leak was considered stable and did not pose a threat to the safety of the capsule, so the launch progressed and was successful in delivering Starliner to the ISS.

However, since docking with the ISS, the spacecraft has produced four additional helium leaks. NASA wrote earlier this week that Calypso “has ample margin to support the return trip,” based on the current number of the five spills, with ten times the required capacity of helium in its tanks.

As Boeing guided Starliner in for docking, another problem — which NASA says is separate from the helium leaks — arose with the spacecraft’s propulsion system. Starliner has 28 jets, known as the response control system, or RCS, engines, which help the spacecraft make small movements in orbit.

Five of the 28 thrusters failed to function, but after troubleshooting, Boeing repaired four of Starliner’s defective jets and NASA allowed the spacecraft to dock.

NASA said Friday it would conduct hot burn tests before disconnecting seven of the eight thrusters near the spacecraft’s tail. Hot fires are very short bursts of the thrusters where Boeing wants to evaluate the performance of the thrusters. NASA did not specify whether any of the seven thrusters that will be tested were the same as the five that stopped working before docking.

Boeing Vice President Mark Nappi said in a statement that despite doubling the mission, “we still have sufficient margin and time on station.”

Starliner was once seen as a competitor to SpaceX’s Dragon, which has made 12 crewed trips to the ISS in the past four years. However, several setbacks and delays have steadily pushed Starliner into a backup position for NASA, with the agency planning to fly SpaceX and Boeing astronauts on alternate flights.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the duration of the flight test.