NASA holds Boeing Starliner's return for more technical checks

NASA has further postponed the Boeing Starliner's return to Earth from the International Space Station with its first crew of astronauts, to allow more time for review of technical issues encountered, the agency said on Friday.

It did not set a new date, raising questions about the timing of the return of the two astronauts on Boeing's first crewed mission, which had initially been set for June 26, itself a pushback from the first potential date of June 14.

"Mission managers are evaluating future return opportunities following the station’s two planned spacewalks on June 24 and July 2," NASA said in a statement.

The US astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, lifted off on June 5 as a final demonstration to obtain routine flight certification from NASA.

The crewed test of the spacecraft, test-flown to space two times since 2019 without humans on board, has encountered five failures of its 28 maneuvering thrusters, five leaks of helium gas meant to pressurize those thrusters, and a slow-moving propellant valve that signalled unfixed past issues.

NASA wants Starliner to become a second US spacecraft capable of ferrying astronauts with the ISS, alongside SpaceX's Crew Dragon, its primary ride since 2020.

Reuters