Washington
According to a source, two NASA astronauts, Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams, are waiting on board the International Space Station (ISS) due to multiple mechanical problems with Boeing’s Starliner aircraft and do not have a scheduled return date to Earth.
On June 14, the two NASA astronauts were supposed to return. The couple’s return to Earth has been postponed several times, so there isn’t a clear timetable for them to return. According to a source report, we are taking our time and adhering to our standard mission management team procedure, stated Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, in a statement.
In regards to handling the minor helium system leaks and thruster performance we saw during rendezvous and docking, Stich continued, “We are letting the data drive our decision-making.”
On June 5 the Starliner, piloted by Sunita Suni Williams and flight commander Barry Butch Wilmore, was launched from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at Cape Canaveral, Florida. On June 6, the Starliner reached the ISS.
The mission is a component of NASA’s wider Commercial Crew Program, which aimed to determine whether Boeing’s spacecraft might be approved for regular voyages to and from the International Space Station.
According to Boeing and NASA, the crew is safe as of right now because they have enough supplies in orbit and a reasonably free schedule through mid-August on the ISS.
