Boeing Starliner spacecraft crash. Astronauts trapped in Earth orbit

After months of delays, the Boeing Starliner took off on June 5 from Cape Canaveral in Florida. Delays included problems with the on-board computer, a helium leak and valve problems. Ultimately, the spacecraft carrying two astronauts – Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams – docked at the International Space Station (ISS). The return of the Starliner with the crew was initially planned for June 14, then on June 18 and 25. However, it turns out that the astronauts will not return to Earth anytime soon.

Starliner stuck in orbit. More problems for Boeing’s spacecraft

The Starliner will remain docked at the ISS until at least July 2, about a week later than last planned. These extra days are intended to give Boeing and NASA more time to evaluate several problems that occurred during the craft’s flight. As reported by Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, there were, among other things, failures of five of the 28 thrusters with the reaction control system and five helium leaks in the propulsion system.

– We are not in a hurry and are following our standard procedure, said Stich, quoted by the portal. He emphasized that the ship was functioning properly and the crew had enough supplies to be able to stay in space for a long time.

Long Starliner crossing

Boeing Starliner is a manned capsule project that was to be an alternative to the manned SpaceX Dragon. The first Starliner launch took place unmanned in 2019. It ended in failure. The capsule then entered the wrong orbit and did not reach the ISS. As a result, the flight had to be repeated. In mid-2020, NASA published a report exposing numerous problems with Boeing’s spacecraft. It took almost a year to fix the errors, and it was only in May 2021 that it was announced that the ship was ready for another space flight. After repairs, Starliner was launched in May 2022. It then successfully landed on the ISS, but without a crew.