Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is all set to return to Earth without astronauts today (Sept. 6). This test flight mission, which carried astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore, was launched on June 5 and was originally supposed to return within 10 days. However, due to helium leaks and thruster failures on the spacecraft, the astronauts will have to stay in space until 2025.They are scheduled to return to Earth in February aboard Elon Musk’s SpaceX Crew Dragon.
The livestream of the capsule’s homecoming can be watched via NASA’s YouTube channel. The process will begin at 5:45 p.m. EDT (September 7, 3:30 a.m. IST). It is expected to land at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico at 12:03 a.m. EDT (9:33 a.m. IST) on the same day.
In 2014, both Boeing and SpaceX received multibillion-dollar contracts from NASA for astronaut flights to fill the gap left by the retirement of the space shuttle in 2011. The commercial crewed flights were expected to launch by 2017, but technical and funding issues delayed the plan.
Starliner’s first uncrewed flight took place in 2019, but it didn’t go as planned. The Boeing capsule couldn’t reach the ISS due to technical problems. A follow-up mission was further delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The second attempt was more or less a success. While the test flight of Starliner managed an ISS docking, it still faced some docking issues. Authorities are investigating whether the cause of the thruster issue is the same as the current problem, but no conclusive evidence has been found yet.
The Crew Flight Test was scheduled to launch in 2023, but it was delayed after issues with parachute loading and wiring wrapped in flammable tape were discovered. On May 6, 2024, the original date for the CFT to take flight, a valve issue was discovered on Starliner’s rocket ride during an investigation. Another attempt was foiled due to issues with some ground equipment, but finally, on June 5, 2024, the CFT left Earth with Williams and Wilmore onboard. In hindsight, these mission hiccups from the beginning now seem like an omen.
On June 6, the process was not smooth either, as Starliner experienced helium leaks before launch, and during docking, all 28 reaction control system thrusters went offline.
The livestream of the capsule’s homecoming can be watched via NASA’s YouTube channel. The process will begin at 5:45 p.m. EDT (September 7, 3:30 a.m. IST). It is expected to land at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico at 12:03 a.m. EDT (9:33 a.m. IST) on the same day.
In 2014, both Boeing and SpaceX received multibillion-dollar contracts from NASA for astronaut flights to fill the gap left by the retirement of the space shuttle in 2011. The commercial crewed flights were expected to launch by 2017, but technical and funding issues delayed the plan.
Starliner’s first uncrewed flight took place in 2019, but it didn’t go as planned. The Boeing capsule couldn’t reach the ISS due to technical problems. A follow-up mission was further delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The second attempt was more or less a success. While the test flight of Starliner managed an ISS docking, it still faced some docking issues. Authorities are investigating whether the cause of the thruster issue is the same as the current problem, but no conclusive evidence has been found yet.
The Crew Flight Test was scheduled to launch in 2023, but it was delayed after issues with parachute loading and wiring wrapped in flammable tape were discovered. On May 6, 2024, the original date for the CFT to take flight, a valve issue was discovered on Starliner’s rocket ride during an investigation. Another attempt was foiled due to issues with some ground equipment, but finally, on June 5, 2024, the CFT left Earth with Williams and Wilmore onboard. In hindsight, these mission hiccups from the beginning now seem like an omen.
On June 6, the process was not smooth either, as Starliner experienced helium leaks before launch, and during docking, all 28 reaction control system thrusters went offline.
