NASA postpones return of “Starliner” crew
- by Krone
- Jun 15, 2024
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Originally, the Starliner and its first crew - NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Suni Williams - were due to undock from the ISS on Friday. The postponement of the return allows for the investigation of problems such as a "sticky" oxidizer valve and several helium leaks on the capsule, according to NASA.
There had already been technical problems with the "Starliner" during the 24-hour flight to the ISS. In the meantime, five of the 28 maneuvering thrusters failed and several helium leaks were discovered on the spacecraft. The mission is crucial for the certification of the "Starliner" for routine flights to the ISS.
Capsule will land in the desert
The Starliner is expected to land in the desert at the White Sands Missile Range, a test site for rocket and drone technology in the southern US state of New Mexico, or at a similar location depending on weather conditions.
The "Starliner" - a partially reusable spacecraft that consists of a three-metre-high capsule for the crew and a service module and, unlike the SpaceX "Crew Dragon" space capsule, does not land on water but on Earth - set off on its first manned test flight on June 5 after years of delays.
Alternative to SpaceX space capsule
In future, the spacecraft is to transport astronauts to the ISS as an alternative to the Crew Dragon. However, the project is years behind schedule due to numerous problems, while the Crew Dragon has been regularly transporting astronauts to the human outpost in space for several years.
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