Boeing Starliner's Journey: Challenges, Delays, and Milestones

Boeing Starliner's return to Earth from the International Space Station with its first crew of astronauts has been delayed to June 26. This mission is a critical test for NASA to certify Starliner for routine missions, after facing numerous technical difficulties and delays over the years.

(Adds background on delays and Starliner mission) WASHINGTON, June 18 (Reuters) -

Boeing Starliner's return to Earth from the International Space Station with its first crew of astronauts has been pushed back to June 26, a NASA official said on Tuesday. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were launched aboard Starliner June 5 and arrived at the ISS following a 24-hour flight in which the spacecraft encountered four helium leaks and five failures of its 28 maneuvering thrusters.

Starliner's first flight with astronauts is a crucial last test in a much-delayed and over-budget program before NASA can certify the spacecraft for routine astronaut missions and add a second U.S. crew vehicle to its fleet, alongside SpaceX's Crew Dragon. The new delay of the return of Starliner is intended "to give our team a little bit more time to look at the data, do some analysis and make sure we're really ready to come home," Steve Stich, NASA's commercial crew program manager, said during a news conference.

NASA is targeting a departure no earlier than June 26, leaving open an opportunity for further extensions of time at the ISS. Starliner, while designed for future six-month missions, can stay docked to the ISS for a maximum of 45 days during its current mission. The return to Earth is expected to last about six hours and target a location in the desert of Utah, New Mexico or other backup locations, depending on local weather conditions.

The latest in-flight problems follow years of other challenges Boeing has faced with Starliner, including a 2019 uncrewed test failure where dozens of software glitches, design problems and management issues nixed its ability to dock to the ISS. A 2022 repeat uncrewed test had a successful docking.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)