– “Taking Our Extra Time”: Boeing Delays Starliner’s Return To Earth Amid Thruster Issues
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft’s return from the International Space Station to Earth will be delayed until mid-next week as NASA and astronauts troubleshoot helium leaks and try to figure out why some of the thrusters failed during the latest test flight.
At a press briefing on Tuesday, Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager, said Starliner would end its first crewed mission to the ISS no earlier than next Wednesday – or about three weeks after it first launched atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
“We want to give our teams a little bit more time to look at the data, do some analysis, and make sure we’re really ready to come home,” Stich said.
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