NASA and Boeing officials disputed headlines Friday that the commercial Starliner crew capsule is stuck on the International Space Station, but said they need more time to analyze the data before clearing it. officially the ship for disengagement and re-entry.
Two NASA astronauts, Commander Butch Wilmore and Pilot Suni Williams, will spend at least a few more weeks on the space station while engineers on the ground conduct propulsion tests to better understand problems with the Starliner propulsion system in orbit. Wilmore and Williams launched on June 5 aboard an Atlas V rocket and docked at the station the following day, completing the first segment of Starliner’s first test flight with astronauts.
NASA managers originally planned for the Starliner spacecraft to remain docked at the space station for at least eight days, though they left open the possibility of an extension of the mission. The test flight is now likely to last at least a month and a half, and possibly longer, as engineers battle helium leaks and propellant malfunctions in the Starliner’s service module.
The batteries on the Starliner spacecraft were originally certified for only a 45-day mission duration, but NASA officials said they are looking to extend the limit after confirming the batteries are performing well.
“We have the luxury of time,” said Ken Bowersox, associate administrator for NASA’s space operations mission directorate. “We’re still in the middle of a test mission. We’re still moving forward.”
Previously, NASA and Boeing officials delayed the Starliner’s re-entry and landing from mid-June, then from June 26, and now they have ruled out a possible landing in early July. Last week, NASA said in a statement that the agency’s senior leadership will meet to formally review the Starliner’s readiness for reentry, something that was not part of the original plan.
“We’re not stuck on the ISS”
Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s commercial crew program, said Friday he wanted to clear up the “misunderstandings” that led to headlines claiming the Starliner spacecraft was stranded or stranded on the space station.
“I want to make it very clear that Butch and Suni are not trapped in space,” Stich said. “Our plan is to continue to get them back to the Starliner and get them home at the right time. We have a little more work to do to get there for the final return, but they are safe at (the station ) space.”
With Starliner docked, the space station currently hosts three different crew spacecraft, including SpaceX’s Crew Dragon and Russia’s Soyuz. There are no serious plans under consideration to bring Wilmore and Williams home on another spacecraft.
“Obviously, we have the luxury of having multiple vehicles and we work out contingency plans for many different scenarios, but right now, we’re really focused on getting Butch and Suni back to the Starliner,” Stich said.
“We’re not stuck on the ISS,” said Mark Nappi, Boeing’s vice president in charge of the Starliner program. “It’s very painful to read the things that are out there. We’ve got a really good test flight that’s been done so far and it’s being viewed quite negatively.”
Stich said NASA officials should have “more frequent interaction” with reporters to fill in information gaps on the Starliner test flight. NASA’s written updates are not always timely and often lack detail and context.
NASA officials have cleared the Starliner spacecraft for an emergency return to Earth if astronauts need to evacuate the space station for safety or medical reasons. But NASA has not yet approved the Starliner for reentry and landing under “nominal” conditions.
“When it’s an emergency situation, we’re ready to put the crew on the spacecraft and bring them home as a lifeboat,” Bowersox said. “For the nominal entry, we want to look at more data before we make the final call to put the crew in the vehicle, and it’s a serious enough call that we’re going to get the senior management team together (for approval).