Boeing is making progress in understanding the issues with its astronaut capsule in orbit after completing testing on a spare thruster on Earth.
The Starliner capsule has been attached to the International Space Station since June 6. Originally scheduled to return in mid-June with NASA test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, thruster malfunctions and helium leaks necessitated an extended stay.
As of now, there is no set return date for the astronauts. Engineers will dismantle the thruster that underwent testing in New Mexico over the past few weeks and analyze the data before approving Starliner for the journey back.
“We gathered a significant amount of data on the thruster that could provide insights into its performance during flight,” said Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager.
The testing successfully replicated the conditions experienced by the thrusters from the capsule’s docking at the space station to its undocking and descent, according to NASA.
This mission marks the first crewed test flight for the Starliner.
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By Marcia Dunn
