In an update released late Friday evening, NASA said it was “adjusting” the date of the Starliner spacecraft’s return to Earth from June 26 to an unspecified time in July.
The announcement followed two days of lengthy meetings to assess the readiness of the spacecraft, developed by Boeing, to fly NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to Earth. According to sources, these meetings included high-level participation from senior leaders at the agency, including Associate Administrator Jim Free.
Launched on June 5 atop an Atlas V rocket, this ‘Crew Flight Test’ was originally scheduled to undock and return to Earth on June 14. However, when NASA and Boeing engineers studied data from the vehicle’s problematic flight to the International Space Station, they passed up several return options.
They did so again Friday evening, citing the need to spend more time reviewing data.
“Taking Our Time”
“We are taking our time and following our standard mission management team process,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, in the NASA update. “We are letting the data drive our decision-making regarding management of the small helium system leaks and thruster performance we observed during the rendezvous and docking.”
Just a few days ago, on Tuesday, NASA and Boeing officials set a return date to Earth for June 26. But that was before a series of meetings on Thursday and Friday in which mission managers reviewed findings on two major issues with the Starliner spacecraft: five separate leaks in the helium system that stress Starliner’s propulsion system and the failure of five of the ship’s 28 thrusters. vehicle’s response control system as Starliner approached the station.
The NASA update did not provide information about the deliberations during these meetings, but it is clear that the agency’s leaders were not comfortable with all the contingencies that Wilmore and Williams might encounter during a return flight to Earth, including safely disconnecting the space. station, maneuver away, perform a de-orbit burn, separate the crew capsule from the service module, and then fly through the planet’s atmosphere before landing under parachutes in a New Mexico desert.
Spacecraft have a 45 day limit
Now the NASA and Boeing engineering teams will need a little more time. Sources said NASA was considering June 30 as a possible return date, but the agency would also like to conduct a few spacewalks outside the station. These spacewalks, currently scheduled for June 24 and July 2, will now go ahead. Starliner will return to Earth some time afterward, likely no sooner than the July 4 holiday.
“We are using the additional time strategically to clear a path for some critical station activities while we complete preparations for Butch and Suni’s return to Starliner and gain valuable insight into the system upgrades we plan to make for post-certification missions” , Stich said.
In a way, it is beneficial for NASA and Boeing to have Starliner docked with the space station for an extended period of time. They can collect more data about the vehicle’s performance during long-duration missions. Ultimately, Starliner will fly operational missions that will allow astronauts to remain in orbit for six months at a time.
However, this vehicle is only rated for a 45-day stay on the space station, and that clock started ticking on June 6. Furthermore, it is not optimal that NASA feels the need to continue delaying the vehicle to familiarize itself with its performance on the space station. the return journey to Earth. In a few press conferences since Starliner docked at the station, officials have downplayed the overall severity of these problems – repeatedly saying that Starliner is cleared to come home “in the event of an emergency.” But they have yet to fully explain why they don’t yet feel comfortable releasing Starliner to fly back to Earth under normal conditions.