Summary
- Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are staying in space longer than expected due to Starliner issues.
- Despite problems, the astronauts praise Starliner’s performance during docking with the ISS.
- NASA is confident about the astronauts’ safe return, gathering valuable data from the extended mission.
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams made history onboard the first crewed Starliner mission last month. However, their stay in space has gone on longer than anticipated due to helium leaks and thruster problems with Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner, delaying their return journey by almost a month and counting. The two astronauts provided an update today from onboard the International Space Stations (ISS) and fielded questions from journalists.
NASA astronauts speak on Starliner experience
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams spoke highly about the Starliner launch and docking, despite encountering setbacks that have led to their stay on the ISS extending over a month. Helium leaks were detected on Starliner both before launch and during the approach to the ISS, while multiple thrusters also malfunctioned at the docking phase. Wilmore was very impressed by how the Starliner held up in the face of adversity, stating,
“Even with degraded thrusters, the capability was there to actually dock that precise.”
The two astronauts are confident about their ability to get home. Williams reiterated that the mission was a flight test and they were “expecting to find some things,” staying in close coordination with their control team to gather as much data as possible. In fact, NASA has stated that one of the upsides of Wilmore and Williams’ prolonged stay in space was the additional data it would yield.
Photo: NASA
Williams said,
“We are really satisfied with putting more people in the spacecraft once we get back and we work through all the issues that we’ve found already.”
The journey so far
It has been a long journey for Starliner’s first crewed mission to take place, and there’s still a lot of work to be done to successfully bring the two astronauts home. The CST-100 Starliner first docked with the ISS in May 2022, its second attempt at docking after a failed mission in 2019, but its first crewed attempt happened last month.
While the June 5th launch was ultimately a success, problems were discovered with the spacecraft during and after its journey, including five small helium leaks and thruster malfunctions on approach to the ISS. As reported by Satnews, NASA has stated it has the “luxury of time” and is in no rush to bring the astronauts back. Mark Nappi, manager of Boeing’s Commercial Crew Program, added,
“We’re not stuck on ISS. The crew is not in any danger, and there’s no increased risk when we decide to bring Suni and Butch back to Earth.”
Ground tests started last week at NASA’s White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico to replicate the conditions for the journey home. The Starliner’s batteries were initially anticipated to last around 45 days, but NASA recently stated they would last for another 45 days.
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According to Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, the two could be heading back to Earth by the end of July, although he noted this was optimistic. There is something of a soft deadline to get Wilmore and Williams back before mid-August, when the ISS is next scheduled to change its crew.
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