Starliner astronauts: ‘Great progress,’ but no return date

Starlink still at ISS, Crew 9 arrival looming

When Boeing and NASA’s Starliner mission carried two astronauts to the International Space Station in early June, the mission was intended to last a minimum of 8 days. But the Boeing-built craft developed helium leaks and a thruster issue on its way to ISS. And astronauts Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore are today still at ISS, with no return date fixed. At a press update held on Thursday (July 25, 2024) – the mission’s 50th day – NASA and Boeing representatives said the mission could continue into September.

So Starliner remains docked to the ISS with no date scheduled for its return journey.

Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, described the mission’s current status:

We don’t have a major announcement today relative to a return date. We’re making great progress, but we’re just not quite ready to do that. We’re here to be open and transparent and talk about, you know, all the great learning that’s happened.

No firm date for return

Stich and Boeing’s Mark Nappi gave a detailed technical description of testing performed on the craft’s malfunctioning thruster system. They also discussed the helium leaks that delayed the launch and are ongoing. Flight controls say neither issue would prevent the craft – and its astronauts – from returning safely.

But they still avoided giving a firm date for Starliner’s undocking. Stich explained why they’re hesitant:

Boy, I hate to pick a date. I mean I think you know if we have an agency review next week and that review is successful and everybody polls ‘go to proceed,’ I mean it’s a little bit of time after that, right? So depending on what’s going on at ISS. It’s kind of a busy time at ISS, if you just look at the next few weeks.

By “busy,” he means several things. A handoff is coming up between ISS Crew 8 and Crew 9. The date of that handoff has depended on when the Falcon 9 rocket was allowed to return to flight, and the FAA just approved Falcon 9’s return to flight late yesterday (July 25). There is also a Soyuz resupply mission, set for August 15. And the Northrop Grumman CRS21 is also scheduled to make a resupply run to the ISS no earlier than August.

Watch the entire NASA-Boeing press conference below:

‘Building confidence’ in Starliner before reentry

At the five-week point, a prior mission update to the press on Wednesday, July 10, Stich had emphasized again that NASA is being extremely cautious.

And he told reporters the thrusters that failed as Starliner docked at the ISS will not prevent a safe landing at the mission’s end. He explained then:

We’re taking our time on the ground to go through all the data that we have before we decide on the return opportunity. We’re taking time to build confidence in the spacecraft, to understand the thruster performance – those aft thrusters that failed off during docking – and also totally understand the helium margins before we undock. You know what we’re doing is not unusual for a new spacecraft.

Starliner’s thrusters had apparently failed due to a temperature issue, which, at that time, mission controllers were not yet been able to replicate back on Earth. The vehicle’s multiple helium leaks in its thruster system should not impact its return flight, according to NASA and Boeing.

These July 10 details were revealed just two days after Boeing suffered another high-profile structural failure, with an airplane. A United Airlines Boeing aircraft had lost a landing gear wheel during takeoff on July 8 in Los Angeles, before landing safely in Denver.

The entire July 10 mission update is here, or below:

Butch and Suni said they were having a ‘great time’ in space

Shortly before the July 10 technical update, Williams and Wilmore spoke live to reporters back on Earth. They gave a rosy update on their extended stay at the ISS, where they are continuing to test Starliner and assist the station’s crew. Those tests, Williams said, have reassured them of the craft’s ability to get them home in one piece:

So, I have confidence. Butch has confidence. We are here on the space station with our safe haven of Starliner.

In the meantime, the pair are enjoying themselves, Williams said:

It feels good to float around. It feels good to be in space and work up here with the International Space Station. It is great to be up here. I am not complaining. Butch is not complaining we are here for a couple extra weeks.

Meanwhile, testing of Starliner’s thrusters continues at NASA’s White Sands Test Facility. Williams bristled a bit when asked if test results have shaken the astronauts’ confidence in the craft:

Your question is full of speculation. I don’t know personally what could come out of there that would give us a huge amount of pause. What we want to know is that the thrusters can perform, if whatever their percentage of thrust is we can put into a package that will get us a deorbit burn.

But she clearly realizes what’s at stake:

That’s the main purpose that we need [from] the service module. To get us a good deorbit burn so we can come back.

Watch the full interview with Williams and Wilmore above or on YouTube.

Starliner’s extended stay at ISS

Starliner launched June 5, 2024, from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. In a press conference with NASA and Boeing on June 28, 2024, Stich repeatedly expressed that he wanted to “make things clear” concerning the many theories surrounding Boeing Starliner. Stich said on June 28:

I want to make it very clear that Butch and Suni are not stranded in space.

The pair of astronauts – Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore – are now nearly a month in space and counting. Meanwhile, Suni and Butch have been welcomed on board the space station by the astronauts there, who appreciate extra pairs of hands.

During the June 28 press conference, officials explained there are no leaks while Starliner is docked at the space station, as all the manifolds are closed. Also, for the next couple of weeks, engineers will be test firing thrusters at the White Sands Test Facility. The officials wouldn’t commit to a return date, saying that it would come after the completion of the tests. Those tests may take a couple of weeks or longer.

And the officials admitted that more communication with the media going forward would help dispel the wild speculation that’s surrounded the mission.

When the NASA-Boeing Starliner mission began in early June 2024, it was a year behind schedule and $1.4 billion over budget. Starliner has encountered many challenges along the way, including during its launch and subsequent “harrowing” journey to the International Space Station. That’s according to Eric Berger – the senior space editor at Ars Technica – who spoke with EarthSky’s Dave Adalian LIVE on Monday, July 1. They discussed Starliner’s issues and more. Watch the replay above or find us on YouTube.

This was the 1st crewed Starliner mission to ISS

There was early speculation around Starliner is that the capsule and its crew are “marooned” at the ISS, although both NASA and Boeing have continued to say throughout that the astronauts can return “at any time.”

On June 21, Stich said the agency is exercising caution:

We are taking our time and following our standard mission management team process. We are letting the data drive our decision-making, relative to managing the small helium system leaks and thruster performance we observed during rendezvous and docking. Additionally, given the duration of the mission, it is appropriate for us to complete an agency-level review, similar to what was done ahead of the NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 return after two months on orbit, to document the agency’s formal acceptance on proceeding as planned.

The Starliner capsule remains cleared to return Williams and Wilmore to Earth should an emergency arise. Watch the full NASA-Boeing CFT status teleconference on the viewer below.

Boeing’s crewed capsule was to come home weeks ago

Previously, Wilmore and Williams’ mission aboard Starliner was scheduled to last a minimum of eight days. It launched from Earth on June 5. But then the delays for return began. Aerospace giant Boeing and NASA had announced that Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule and service module would remain docked at the ISS until June 25, with landing at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico on June 26. That return obviously did not happen.

Boeing and NASA say the postponed return to Earth has allowed a more thorough examination of the craft’s performance, including, its propulsion system. At least five leaks have been discovered in the expendable service module’s helium manifolds, part of the craft’s free-flight steering system. The vehicle also has a stuck valve (also in the propulsion system).

Then, as now, crew members Wilmore and Williams continued to work on completing evaluations for NASA crew-readiness certification, a statement said.

Despite the leaks and other issues with the craft, program manager Stich gave a rosy assessment of the mission progress so far:

Butch and Suni are doing great aboard station as ground teams continue digging into the details of Starliner’s on-orbit, rendezvous, and docked performance. We expected to do a lot of valuable learning on this test flight, and I am extremely proud of how the NASA and Boeing teams are working together to ensure we can safely execute the return portion of the mission.

Read more: The Atlantic: Boeing launch can’t afford to fail

Hugs all around! The Expedition 71 crew greets Butch Wilmore and @Astro_Suni aboard @Space_Station after #Starliner docked at 1:34 p.m. ET on June 6. pic.twitter.com/wQZAYy2LGH

— Boeing Space (@BoeingSpace) June 6, 2024

Rewatch the livestream of the 1st crewed launch of Boeing Starliner in the player above.

Starliner docking confirmed!

The #Starliner crewed spacecraft docked to the @Space_Station at 1:34pm ET with @NASA_Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. pic.twitter.com/rTzuUHdABm

— NASA's Johnson Space Center (@NASA_Johnson) June 6, 2024

In the last hour or so, Boeing and the flight team at Mission Control Center in Houston have been addressing a series of helium leaks within the Starliner's propulsion system in the top and port doghouses on the service module. Here's a synopsis from the NASA commentator as Butch… pic.twitter.com/8UH13cAikw

— Spaceflight Now (@SpaceflightNow) June 6, 2024

Adding some additional context on the helium leaks onboard Starliner: teams are monitoring two new leaks beyond the original leak detected prior to liftoff. One is in the port 2 manifold, one in the port 1 manifold and the other in the top manifold.

The port 2 manifold leak,… pic.twitter.com/qSQzLUVdnp

— Spaceflight Now (@SpaceflightNow) June 6, 2024

More on Starliner

EarthSky’s Greg Diesel Walck and his photo equipment were on the scene all week, waiting at the launchpad. He shared this quick video:

Setting up for @ulalaunch Starliner ? @BoeingSpace media for @earthskyscience #starliner #ula pic.twitter.com/TEqUEe7k5r

— Greg Diesel Walck (@GregDieselPhoto) May 31, 2024

Boeing and NASA opt to launch Starliner with leak

On May 6, 2024, a rocket issue caused the scrub of the first crewed Boeing Starliner launch. This valve regulates the pressure on the upper stage of the rocket. At the May 6 attempt, it was buzzing, which led to the scrub two hours before launch. In a press conference on May 6, 2024, United Launch Alliance (ULA) president and CEO Tory Bruno said:

Had it been a satellite, we would have simply cycled, finished the count and launched. That’s not what we planned for a crew mission. And so, we stayed with the rules and procedures and scrubbed.

ArsTechnica reported on May 25 that flight controllers felt confident the leak in Starliner would not affect its performance:

Senior managers from NASA and Boeing told reporters on Friday (May 24) that they plan to launch the first crew test flight of the Starliner spacecraft as soon as June 1, following several weeks of detailed analysis of a helium leak and a ‘design vulnerability’ with the ship’s propulsion system.

Indeed, during the press conference on June 1 after the attempted launch that day, officials said the helium leak they were tracking wouldn’t have been an issue.

Progress and goals

The goal of the mission is to have a reusable crew capsule that can be flown for up to 10 missions. After NASA retired the space shuttle program in 2011, it has relied on others to get astronauts into space. Some astronauts have hitched a ride on Russian rockets. Then in 2020, SpaceX’s Dragon began transporting astronauts to the International Space Station. Boeing’s Starliner would be an important backup to these space efforts.

But it’s been a long road to Boeing’s first crewed launch day. As Wendy Whitman Cobb of Air University wrote for The Conversation:

Starliner’s development has come with setbacks. Though Boeing received $4.2 billion from NASA, compared with $2.6 billion for SpaceX, Boeing spent more than $1.5 billion extra in developing the spacecraft.

On the first uncrewed test flight in 2019, a series of software and hardware failures prevented it from getting to its planned orbit as well as docking with the International Space Station. After testing out some of its systems, it landed successfully at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

In 2022, after identifying and making more than 80 fixes, Starliner conducted a second uncrewed test flight. This time, the vehicle did successfully dock with the International Space Station and landed six days later in New Mexico.

And one day, as space tourism increases, Starliner may even play a role in taking you, or someone you know, into space.

Bottom line: In a press briefing July 25, 2024, NASA and Boeing again gave no firm date for the return from ISS for the Starliner crew capsule and its 2 astronauts.