A satellite image shows an summary of the International Space Station with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, June 7, 2024.
Maxar Technologies | Via Reuters
Boeing‘s Starliner capsule “Calypso” will stay on the International Space Station twice so long as the mission originally planned, NASA announced Friday.
This developmental nature of the mission, often called Boeing’s crew flight test, is on display as the corporate and NASA are performing a wide range of tests on Starliner while it’s docked with the ISS. The mission represents the primary time Starliner carries crew, with Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams set to fly the spacecraft back to Earth next week.
Before launching on June 5, Boeing and NASA planned for Starliner to be in space for nine days.
But Calypso’s mission is now expected to return to Earth on June 22, departing the ISS at 11:42 p.m. ET on June 21 before landing roughly six and half hours later, at 6:26 a.m. ET. Which means the Starliner crew flight test will now last at the least 17 days, about double the unique plan, for further spacecraft testing.
NASA said those tests include operating the capsule’s hatch, firing seven of its thrusters and checking the cabin air temperature, all while this system’s managers and astronauts “finalize departure planning and operations.”
The agency also noted that Starliner would “repeat some ‘shelter’ testing,” but didn’t explain why that was vital. A shelter test is when astronauts on the ISS use a spacecraft for shelter during an emergency. NASA said “the spacecraft stays cleared for crew emergency return scenarios throughout the flight rules,” referencing the possible scenario of an unexpected evacuation of the astronauts off the ISS.
NASA, after publishing an update Friday, deferred CNBC’s request for further clarification until a press conference that can be held Tuesday before the planned departure.
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The crew flight test represents a final major step before NASA certifies Boeing to fly crew on operational, six-month missions. Yet, much like the previous two spaceflights that were uncrewed, Starliner is running into several problems through the mission.
Before the launch, a single leak in Calypso’s helium propulsion system was identified. The leak was deemed to be stable and never a threat to the capsule’s safety, so the launch moved forward and was successful in delivering Starliner to the ISS.
Nevertheless, since docking with the ISS, the spacecraft has sprung 4 additional helium leaks. NASA earlier this week wrote that Calypso “has loads of margin to support the return trip” based on the present rate of the five leaks, with 10 times the needed capability of helium in its tanks.
While Boeing was guiding Starliner in for docking, one other issue — which NASA says is separate from the helium leaks — cropped up with the spacecraft propulsion system. Starliner has 28 jets, often called its response control system, or RCS, engines, which help the spacecraft make small movements in orbit.
Five of the 28 thrusters weren’t operating but after troubleshooting, Boeing recovered 4 of Starliner’s malfunctioning jets and NASA allowed the spacecraft to dock.
NASA said Friday that it might perform hot fire testing before undocking with seven of the eight thrusters near the spacecraft’s tail. Hot fires are very temporary bursts of the thrusters, with Boeing seeking to evaluate the thrusters’ performance. NASA didn’t specify whether any of the seven thrusters that may undergo testing were similar to the five that stopped operating before docking.
Boeing Vice President Mark Nappi said in an announcement that despite the mission doubling in length, “We’ve loads of margin and time on station” remaining.
Starliner was once seen as a competitor to SpaceX’s Dragon, which has made 12 crewed trips to the ISS over the past 4 years. Nevertheless, various setbacks and delays have steadily slipped Starliner right into a backup position for NASA, with the agency planning to have SpaceX and Boeing fly astronauts on alternating flights.
Boeing’s Starliner capsule is seen while approaching the International Space Station with two NASA astronauts on board on June 6, 2024.
NASA TV
Correction: A previous version of this text misstated the duration of the flight test.
