We told you over a week ago that although he had completed his flight to the ISS, The Starliner spacecraft has not yet been able to complete its test mission (first person). It consisted of taking two crew members, Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams, to the International Space Station, staying docked on the station for a few days, and after a few days there, bringing Wilmore and Williams back to our planet.

The journey out began on June 5 and after just over 24 hours, the ship finally docked with the station and its two crew members were able to access it. However, two problems were detected with the Starliner during the flight. The first consisted of helium leaks, the cause of which has not yet been determined. And later, close to the docking phase, the thrusters, which play a key role for precision approach, malfunctioned. Fortunately, this last issue could be resolved by rebooting the systems, but it’s something that needs to be investigated as well.

Consequently, despite the fact that The return to Earth was originally planned for June 14the decision was made to extend his stay, initially for a maximum of 45 days, until the technicians and engineers find the causes of the malfunctions, solve them as much as possible and, above all, ensure that the Return to Earth is safe. for the crew an absolute priority for both NASA and Boeing, the manufacturer of the ship.

After initial investigations in this regard, NASA held a press conference in which shared good and bad news about the Starliner. The first and most notable thing is that at this time the investigation is ongoing, and as a result there is no expected date for the return of Wilmore and Williams, since, moreover, the maximum time of the ship’s stay on the International Space Station has been extended. extended up to 90 days, double what was originally planned, thanks to the good performance of the ship’s batteries, which remain charged even when docked to the ISS.

The best news is, yes, the technicians They believe it is safe for the ship to return to our planet. And that’s key in situations like the one that occurred a few days ago, when the entire current ISS crew had to emergency board their respective ships (Dragon, Soyuz, and Starliner) for possible emergency evacuation. after debris from a recently destroyed Russian satellite threatened to collide with the station.

So the current situation is to wait as long as possible to try to identify all problems and their causes before the return flight, especially the return phase, can cause damage that makes such analyzes difficult.but now with the peace of mind that in the event of an emergency her two crew members would be able to return safely to our planet.

More information and images: NASA