Two NASA astronauts, already over a month delayed of their return, will proceed to remain on the International Space Station (ISS) till engineers resolve the problems with their Boeing capsule, officers introduced Thursday.
Test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have been supposed to go to the orbiting lab for a few week and return in mid-June, however thruster failures and helium leaks on Boeing’s new Starliner capsule prompted NASA and Boeing to maintain them up longer.
NASA’s industrial crew program supervisor Steve Stich stated mission managers weren’t able to announce a return date.
“We’ll come home when we’re ready,” stated Stich, including that the objective is to carry Wilmore and Williams again aboard Starliner.
Stich acknowledged that backup choices are underneath assessment.
Engineers final week accomplished testing on a spare thruster within the New Mexico desert and can rip it aside to attempt to perceive what went mistaken throughout docking. Five thrusters failed because the capsule approached the area station on June 6, a day after liftoff. Four have since been reactivated.
It seems degraded seals are responsible for the helium leaks and thruster issues, however extra evaluation is required. The crew will test-fire the thrusters this weekend whereas docked to the area station to collect extra information, stated Boeing’s Mark Nappi.
After the area shuttles retired, NASA employed personal firms for astronaut rides to the area station, paying Boeing and SpaceX billions of {dollars}.
This was Boeing’s first check flight with a crew aboard. SpaceX has been ferrying astronauts since 2020.
Source: www.dailysabah.com