June 14 (UPI) – The Starliner’s return to Earth will now be postponed until June 22 or later, NASA announced Friday.
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who launched on the long-awaited Boeing Starliner mission on June 5 and docked with the International Space Station the following day, will have to spend a little more time in orbit than originally planned.
Originally, both astronauts were scheduled to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the Starliner on board the ISS in just under a week, but the mission was extended because more information about the spacecraft needed to be collected.
“We continue to evaluate Starliner’s capabilities in preparation for the long-term goal of having it conduct a six-month docked mission to the space station,” said Steve Stich, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program manager, in a blog post.
This is the second delay in the Starliner’s return to Earth, following an announcement this week that the spacecraft would depart the ISS on June 18.
The return mission was originally brought forward to give the ISS astronauts more time for a spacewalk scheduled for Thursday the 13th, but that mission was canceled an hour before it was due to begin because the astronauts reported “spacesuit discomfort.”
In the meantime, Wilmore and Williams will test the spacecraft’s rear thrusters and verify hatch operation, as well as conduct “safe haven” drills to prepare the capsule for emergencies.
The crew will also work to better understand some of the anomalies Starliner experienced on its journey to low Earth orbit, including a helium leak that led to a launch abort on May 6.
Since then, four more helium leaks have been discovered, as well as a valve that was not properly closed in the capsule’s service module.
Since arriving at the ISS, Wilmore and Williams have contributed to station maintenance and assisted with spacewalks and scientific research.
NASA and Boeing officials will provide further information on the Starliner mission’s progress at a press conference on Tuesday at noon EDT.
The primary and alternate landing sites for the capsule’s return in the southwestern United States have yet to be determined.
