Boeing delays Starliner return, NASA says astronauts not stranded

NASA and Boeing are further extending the first crewed flight of the Starliner, but are not yet setting a new target date for the capsule’s return to Earth, the organizations announced Friday.

Boeing’s Starliner capsule “Calypso” will stay aboard the International Space Station next month while the company and NASA conduct new tests back on Earth. The Boeing crew test flight represents the first time the Starliner is carrying humans, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.

Officials say the Starliner team is beginning a campaign to test the shuttle’s thruster technology in White Sands, New Mexico — testing that will be completed before Starliner returns to Earth.

“We think testing could take several weeks. We’re trying to replicate flight conditions as best we can on the ground,” NASA commercial crew manager Steve Stich said during a press conference.

Before the June 5 launch, Boeing and NASA planned for the Starliner to be in space for nine days. As of Friday, the Starliner flight has counted 24 days and counting.

Despite the extended stay on the ISS, officials stressed that the Starliner is safe to return at any time in case of an emergency. NASA and Boeing say the test delay is only to gather more data about the spacecraft’s performance, particularly its propulsion system.

“I want to make it very clear that Butch and Suni are not trapped in space,” Stich said.

The Starliner crew flight test represents a major final step before NASA certifies Boeing to fly the crew on six-month operational missions. However, similar to the two previous space flights that were unmanned, the Starliner is running into some problems during the mission.

Despite assurances from NASA and Boeing that Calypso is safe to return at any moment, Starliner crews want to try to replicate the thruster problems that occurred as the spacecraft approached the ISS. Officials said the purpose of the ground test is to “make sure there is nothing out of the ordinary” about the propellant’s performance.

White Sands ground tests are expected to begin as early as Tuesday.

“This will be the real opportunity to examine the propellant, as we’ve had in space, with detailed field inspection. Once that testing is done, then we’ll look at the landing plan,” Stich said. .

“We will not target a specific date [for return] until we complete that testing,” he added.

Officials noted their reasoning for keeping the Starliner on the ISS while the White Sands test takes place: Boeing and NASA say their teams can conduct thruster tests more frequently on the ground, as well as physically inspect the thrusters after test firings.

While Starliner will now spend much longer in orbit than anticipated, NASA’s Stich noted that the spacecraft is designed for missions of up to 210 days.

Agency and company representatives repeatedly expressed confidence in the safety of the Boeing spacecraft. Officials said the delay in returning to Earth is an optional choice to study the Starliner more during an experimental mission, rather than a necessary decision to fix a dangerous problem.

“We are not stuck on the ISS. The crew is in no danger and there is no increased risk when we decide to return Suni and Butch to Earth,” said Boeing’s vice president of the Starliner program, Mark Nappi.