This photo provided by NASA shows Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft docked at the front port of the Harmony module on July 3, as seen through the window of the SpaceX Dragon Endeavor spacecraft docked in the adjacent port.
NASA/AP
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NASA/AP
NASA has delayed its next astronaut launch to buy Boeing Co’s troubled new crew module more time at the International Space Station.
The space agency said on Tuesday it was postponing a SpaceX four-person flight from this month to next month. The target now is September 24th at the earliest. Officials said that would give them more time to analyze thruster and leak problems that Boeing’s Starliner capsule encountered after liftoff in June, the first time the capsule carried a crew.
Tuesday marked two months of Starliner test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams’ stay at the space station, and they were supposed to return in mid-June. NASA is weighing all options to bring the two veteran astronauts back, including flying home on a SpaceX capsule.
“NASA and Boeing continue to evaluate spacecraft readiness and have not made any decisions regarding the return of Starliner,” NASA said in a statement. More details are expected to be provided at a news conference on Wednesday .
There are only two docking ports on the space station that can accommodate American astronaut capsules, but both are currently occupied. Therefore, one person needs to be freed up before the next batch of SpaceX workers arrives. Russia has its own parking lot for Soyuz capsules.
The latest setback means the four astronauts who flew with SpaceX in March now also face a longer-than-planned mission.
Over the past few weeks, Boeing has conducted thruster test firings on the ground and in space to better understand why five thrusters failed before Starliner arrived at the space station on June 6. All but one are back online. There was also a sudden leak of helium in the capsule’s propulsion system.
“Boeing remains confident in the Starliner spacecraft and its ability to return safely with its crew,” the company said late last week, citing the test.
After the Space Shuttle was retired in 2011, Boeing and SpaceX were at the top of NASA’s taxi service for astronauts to and from the space station. Provide backup.
SpaceX launched its first astronauts in 2020; the upcoming flight will be NASA’s tenth astronaut flight. It has also launched some private astronauts into orbit.
Boeing has had to overcome multiple Starliner issues over the years. Due to poor software quality and other issues, the company had to launch an empty Starliner twice before deploying a crew to repeat the initial flight test. These delays cost the company more than $1 billion.
