Story so far: Veteran American astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry (Butch) Wilmore, are still docked with the International Space Station (ISS) since June 6 after facing delays, space debris threats, helium leaks and technical glitches on the Starliner spacecraft on which they travelled.

The U.S Space Agency — National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) — held a ‘space-to-earth’ news conference with the two astronauts on July 10 to receive an update on their mission’s progress. Both astronauts said they ‘felt confident’ that they could return to Earth on Starliner itself.

Also read | How Boeing can bring NASA’s Sunita Williams, Barry Wilmore back to Earth

“I have a real good feeling in my heart that this spacecraft will bring us home, no problem,” said Ms. Williams, while Mr. Wilmore said, “That mantra you’ve heard, failure is not an option.” He added that both crew members were staying on the ISS to test the spacecraft

NASA along with the space capsule’s manufacturer Boeing is evaluating Starliner’s propulsion system and the five small helium leaks in the service module. The team is conducting ground tests on identical thrusters at New Mexico’s White Sands Missile Range while another investigation is underway at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama to determine why the propulsion system’s seal failed, leading to helium leaks.

The continued delay in Ms. Williams and Mr. Wilmore’s safe return, which was initially scheduled to begin on June 18, has piqued concerns across the world, including India. Apart from Ms. Williams and Mr. Wilmore, NASA astronauts Michael Barratt, Matt Dominick, Tracy C. Dyson, Jeanette Epps and Russian Cosmonauts Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkin, and Oleg Kononenko are aboard the ISS.

Here’s a look at the attempted launches, what went wrong, and current efforts for the crew’s safe return

Starliner’s attempted launches and success

Sunita Williams, 58, is the pilot of NASA’s Crew Flight Test mission aboard Boeing’s Starliner space capsule. The mission is a joint venture between NASA and American private space players to open up commercial travel to low-Earth orbits and the ISS to more people for scientific and commercial purposes.

United Launch Alliance, a joint venture by Boeing and Lockheed Martin manufactured the Atlas V rocket which transported the astronauts via Boeing’s space capsule Starliner to the ISS. With this, NASA will have a second space capsule option (apart from SpaceX’s Crew Dragon), which has a crew module which can house up to seven astronauts and a non-reusable service module which houses the equipment and systems (air, temperature controls, water supply etc) needed for a stay in space.

The first crewed test flight of Starliner with the above-mentioned astronauts was scheduled for May 6 for a week-long stay at the ISS. However, the flight was scrapped less than two hours before the launch after an issue was detected in an oxygen relief valve of the rocket’s second stage. All launch activities were suspended and the flight was postponed to May 17.

A helium leak was detected in a thruster in Starliner’s service module, further postponing the launch to June 1. On that day, the ground launch sequencer, the computer which launches the rocket, triggered an automatic hold stopping the countdown clock three minutes fifty seconds before the launch.

On June 5, Starliner was finally launched successfully from NASA’s Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida and the two astronauts docked with the forward-facing port of the ISS. During their week long stay, the astronauts were tasked with verifying if Starliner was performing as intended by conducting tests on the various control systems and manoeuvring the thrusters. Prior to take-off, a small helium leak was noticed in the space capsule’s propulsion system but not deemed serious.

What went wrong?

En-route to the ISS, four more small helium leaks sprung up. Both NASA and Boeing officials reviewed flight data to find out the cause of the leaks. On June 6, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program manager Steve Stich admitted that similar thruster issues were revealed during the spacecraft’s uncrewed test flight in 2022, adding, “thought we had fixed that problem,” at a press conference.

The undocking and return journey of Starliner, which was scheduled for June 18, was postponed to June 22, then June 25 and later to July 2.

Mr. Stich opined that thruster issues may have been caused overheating when fuel was burned during the space capsule’s rendezvous with the ISS. According to CNN, the Starliner’s service module has 28 reaction control thrusters, of which five have failed during flight. Four were brought back online eventually.

The Starliner, which had its first uncrewed Orbital test flight in 2019, faced a software glitch, leaving the space capsule in the wrong orbit before it returned to ground without docking with the ISS. In 2022, the space capsule successfully conducted its first uncrewed test flight when it docked with the ISS and then undocked four days later to return to Earth. This flight too faced issues with the thrusters.

What is causing the delay?

Apart from technical issues, the crew also faced a debris collision threat on June 28. The US Space Command alerted the six astronauts onboard the ISS to execute ‘safe haven’ procedures i.e. crew members board the spacecraft they arrived in, in case an emergency departure is needed. This was necessitated after a defunct Russian satellite (RESURS-P1) broke into more than 100 pieces of debris in an orbit near the ISS. Ms. Williams and Mr. Wilmore were forced to board the Starliner to take shelter for an hour before they resumed their activities on the ISS.

On July 2, NASA said that the spacecraft was in good shape to remain docked to the ISS for over 45 days (its upper limit), giving the ground teams of NASA and Boeing time to conduct simulations and tests on the thrusters. Analysis is also underway to determine why several helium leaks have arisen in the capsule, said NASA. Currently, NASA has not set any end date to the mission, making the extension indefinite.

How will the crew return?

In the July 10 press conference, NASA has said, that if absolutely necessary, Starliner would be capable of returning to Earth – acting as an escape pod. Moreover, NASA also has the option of ferrying Mr. Wilmore and Ms. Williams to Earth aboard Crew Dragon. The SpaceX spaceship transported four astronauts to the ISS in March and is capable of fitting more people in case of an emergency. However, such an option has would be a last resort in case Starliner is deemed non-functional.

But NASA has reiterated its confidence in the Starliner to return the duo, dropping the option of using the Crew Dragon.

Washington:

A pair of US astronauts stuck waiting to leave the International Space Station said Wednesday they were confident that the problem-plagued Boeing Starliner they rode up on would soon bring them home, even as significant uncertainties remain.

Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams blasted off on June 5 aboard the brand new spaceship that NASA is hoping to certify to ferry crews to-and-from the orbital outpost.

They docked the following day for what was meant to be roughly a week-long stay, but their return was pushed back because of thruster malfunctions and helium leaks that came to light during the journey.

No date has been set for the return, but NASA officials said Wednesday they were eying “late July.”

Asked during a live press call from the station whether they still had faith in the Starliner team and the spaceship, mission commander Wilmore replied: “We’re absolutely confident.”

“I have a real good feeling in my heart that the spacecraft will bring us home, no problem,” added Sunita Williams.

She said they were continuing to enjoy their time aboard the ISS, performing tasks like changing out the pump on a machine that processes urine back into drinking water, and carrying out science experiments such as gene sequencing in the microgravity environment.

They have also tested Starliner as a “safe haven” vehicle in case of problems aboard the ISS and checked out how its life support performs when four people are inside.

Lingering uncertainty

Before Wilmore and Williams can come home, however, engineering teams need to run more simulations of similar thrusters and helium seals on the ground, to better understand the root causes of some of the technical issues Starliner experienced — and modify the way it will fly down, if necessary.

It was known there was one helium leak affecting the spaceship before the launch, but more leaks emerged during the flight. Helium, while non-combustible, provides pressure to the propulsion system.

What’s more, some of Starliner’s thrusters that provide fine maneuvering initially failed to kick in during its approach to the station, delaying docking.

Engineers are not sure why the craft’s computer “deselected” these thrusters, though they were able to restart all but one of them.

In a subsequent press call, Boeing executive Mark Nappi told reporters that the “working theory” for the thruster malfunction was overheating due to excessive firing.

Theories on the cause of the helium leaks ranged from debris entering the propulsion system to Boeing possibly installing seals that were undersized for the task.

NASA and Boeing insist Starliner could fly home in case of an emergency, particularly since the problems affected only certain thrusters that control orientation.

They have no concerns over any of the more powerful thrusters responsible for the “deorbit burn” that will bring the spaceship back.

But much remains unclear — including whether the orientation control thrusters that malfunctioned have become degraded, which would make it necessary to rely on other thrusters during descent, NASA official Steve Stich said.

He insisted that NASA wasn’t yet considering bringing Williams and Wilmore back on a SpaceX Crew Dragon, in what would amount to a major humiliation for the aerospace giant Boeing, whose reputation has taken a hit in recent years over the safety crisis affecting its commercial jets.

“The prime option today is to return Butch and Suni on Starliner,” said Stich, while conceding that a return flight on a SpaceX spaceship can’t be ruled out.

In 2014, both SpaceX and Boeing were awarded multibillion-dollar contracts by NASA to develop crewed spaceships after the retirement of the Space Shuttle program. SpaceX carried out a successful crewed test in 2020 and has flown dozens of people since.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Washington:

Problems with Boeing’s Starliner capsule, still docked at the International Space Station (ISS), have upended the original plans for its return of its two astronauts to Earth, as last-minute fixes and tests draw out a mission crucial to the future of Boeing’s space division.

NASA has rescheduled the planned return three times, and now has no date set for it. Since its June 5 liftoff, the capsule has had five helium leaks, five maneuvering thrusters go dead and a propellant valve fail to close completely, prompting the crew in space and mission managers in Houston to spend more time than expected pursuing fixes mid-mission.

Here is an explanation of potential paths forward for Starliner and its veteran NASA astronauts, Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams.

THE CURRENT SITUATION

Starliner can stay docked at the ISS for up to 45 days, according to comments by NASA’s commercial crew manager Steve Stich to reporters. But if absolutely necessary, such as if more problems arise that mission officials cannot fix in time, it could stay docked for up to 72 days, relying on various backup systems, according to a person familiar with flight planning.

Internally at NASA, Starliner’s latest targeted return date is July 6, according to this source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Such a return date would mean that the mission, originally planned for eight days, instead would last a month.

Starliner’s expendable propulsion system is part of the craft’s “service module.” The current problems center on this system, which is needed to back the capsule away from the ISS and position it to dive through Earth’s atmosphere. Many of Starliner’s thrusters have overheated when fired, and the leaks of helium – used to pressurize the thrusters – appear to be connected to how frequently they are used, according to Stich.

Stich said recent test-firings of the thrusters while Starliner remains docked gave mission teams confidence in a safe return, though tests and reviews are ongoing. The mission management team, made up of NASA and Boeing personnel, is scrutinizing data on the propulsion issues, running simulations in Houston and considering how to fix them, such as by updating software or changing how the hardware is used.

Once NASA officials give the team a go-ahead for a return, Starliner’s thrusters would be used to undock the capsule from the ISS and begin a roughly six-hour journey home, gradually tightening its orbit before plunging into Earth’s atmosphere for a landing, assisted by parachutes and airbags, at one of several potential locations in the southwestern United States.

This is Starliner’s first mission to orbit carrying astronauts – the final test needed before NASA can certify it as the U.S. space agency’s second ride to the ISS. It would join SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, which has dominated the government and nascent private markets for human spaceflight amid Starliner’s years-long delays.

IF THE UNEXPECTED HAPPENS

Even with the propulsion system issues, NASA has said Starliner still would be capable of returning the astronauts to Earth if absolutely necessary – that is, if the capsule must serve as an escape pod from the ISS in an emergency or if any of Starliner’s perishable items – such as its solar panels – show signs of expiring earlier than planned.

Unlike Starliner’s current mission, NASA did not set a scheduled return date for Crew Dragon’s first mission carrying astronauts in 2020. That mission ultimately lasted 62 days because the astronauts needed to help out on ISS maintenance because the space station was short-staffed at the time.

IF STARLINER CANNOT BE USED

If Starliner is deemed incapable of safely returning Wilmore and Williams to Earth, one option would be sending them home aboard Crew Dragon, which ferried four astronauts to the station in March and is able to fit more people in an emergency.

That scenario, considered unlikely, would undoubtedly be embarrassing for Boeing. But NASA and Boeing officials, as well as engineers familiar with the program, told Reuters nothing about Starliner’s current problems indicates this would be needed.

In such a scenario, Starliner’s fate would depend on various factors including the extent of its technical issues.

The last time a NASA astronaut needed an alternative ride home came in 2022, when Russia’s Soyuz capsule sprang a coolant leak after delivering to the station two cosmonauts and American astronaut Frank Rubio.

NASA had considered Crew Dragon as an alternative ride home for Rubio but he eventually used an empty Soyuz capsule that Russia launched as a rescue craft. Rubio’s mission was extended from six months to a bit more than a year – 371 days – a record-breaking duration for an American in space.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NASA astronaut Suni Williams (seated L) and Butch Wilmore (seated R) pose with the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) after the docking of the Boeing Starliner on June 6, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Problems with Boeing’s Starliner capsule, still docked at the International Space Station (ISS), have upended the original plans for its return of its two astronauts to Earth, as last-minute fixes and tests draw out a mission crucial to the future of Boeing’s space division.

NASA has rescheduled the planned return three times and now has no date set for it.

Since its June 5 lift-off, the capsule has had five helium leaks, five manoeuvring thrusters go dead and a propellant valve failed to close completely, prompting the crew in space and mission managers in Houston to spend more time than expected pursuing fixes mid-mission.

Here is an explanation of potential paths forward for Starliner and its veteran NASA astronauts, Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams.

The current situation

Starliner can stay docked at the ISS for up to 45 days, according to comments by NASA’s commercial crew manager Steve Stich to reporters. But, if necessary, such as if more problems arise that mission officials cannot fix in time, it could stay docked for up to 72 days, relying on various backup systems, according to a person familiar with flight planning.

Internally at NASA, Starliner’s latest targeted return date is July 6, according to a source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Such a return date would mean that the mission, originally planned for eight days, instead would last a month.

Starliner’s expendable propulsion system is part of the craft’s “service module.” The current problems centre on this system, which is needed to back the capsule away from the ISS and position it to dive through Earth’s atmosphere. Many of Starliner’s thrusters have overheated when fired, and the helium leaks — used to pressurise the thrusters — appear to be connected to how frequently they are used, according to Mr. Stich.

Mr. Stich said recent test-firings of the thrusters while Starliner remains docked gave mission teams confidence in a safe return, though tests and reviews are ongoing. The mission management team, made up of NASA and Boeing personnel, is scrutinising data on the propulsion issues, running simulations in Houston and considering how to fix them, such as by updating software or changing how the hardware is used.

Once NASA officials give the team a go-ahead for a return, Starliner’s thrusters would be used to undock the capsule from the ISS and begin a roughly six-hour journey home, gradually tightening its orbit before plunging into Earth’s atmosphere for a landing, assisted by parachutes and airbags, at one of several potential locations in the southwestern United States.

This is Starliner’s first mission to orbit carrying astronauts — the final test needed before NASA can certify it as the U.S. space agency’s second ride to the ISS.

It would join SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, which has dominated the government and nascent private markets for human spaceflight amid Starliner’s years-long delays.

If the unexpected happens

Even with the propulsion system issues, NASA has said Starliner still would be capable of returning the astronauts to Earth if absolutely necessary — that is, if the capsule must serve as an escape pod from the ISS in an emergency or if any of Starliner’s perishable items such as its solar panels show signs of expiring earlier than planned.

Unlike Starliner’s current mission, NASA did not set a scheduled return date for Crew Dragon’s first mission carrying astronauts in 2020. That mission ultimately lasted 62 days because the astronauts needed to help out on ISS maintenance because the space station was short-staffed at the time.

If the Starliner cannot be used

If Starliner is deemed incapable of safely returning Mr. Wilmore and Ms. Williams to Earth, one option would be sending them home aboard Crew Dragon, which ferried four astronauts to the station in March and is able to fit more people in an emergency.

That scenario, considered unlikely, would undoubtedly be embarrassing for Boeing. But NASA and Boeing officials, as well as engineers familiar with the programme, told Reuters nothing about Starliner’s current problems indicates this would be needed.

In such a scenario, Starliner’s fate would depend on various factors including the extent of its technical issues.

The last time a NASA astronaut needed an alternative ride home came in 2022, when Russia’s Soyuz capsule sprang a coolant leak after delivering to the station two cosmonauts and American astronaut Frank Rubio.

NASA had considered Crew Dragon as an alternative ride home for Rubio but he eventually used an empty Soyuz capsule that Russia launched as a rescue craft. Rubio’s mission was extended from six months to a bit more than a year — 371 days — a record-breaking duration for an American in space.

The American space agency NASA has confirmed that the return of Indian origin astronaut Sunita Williams from the International Space Station (ISS) has been further delayed and no new date has been set for her “happy landing”.

This comes as the spacecraft in which she travelled to space, the Boeing Starliner, has been facing a series of glitches. Sunita Williams and her co-passenger Butch Wilmore are both safe on the ISS along with the seven other crew members who inhabit the “mini-city in space” – the ISS.

Riding atop the Boeing Starliner on its maiden mission, Ms Williams reached the ISS on June 5 on what was to be possibly a 10-day mission but since then it has been extended twice thanks to issues with the small rockets that help the crew module return to Earth, and a series of Helium leaks that bedevil the Boeing Starliner on its first crewed flight.

NASA says the crew is not pressed for time to leave the station since there are plenty of supplies in orbit, and the station’s schedule is relatively open through mid-August.

Initially, Ms Williams was to return potentially on June 14, this was scrapped and a new date June 26 was set by NASA, this has also been postponed and a new date has not been announced yet.

“NASA and Boeing leadership are adjusting the return to Earth of the Starliner Crew Flight Test spacecraft with agency astronauts. The move off Wednesday, June 26, deconflicts Starliner’s undocking and landing from a series of planned International Space Station spacewalks while allowing mission teams time to review propulsion system data,” a statement said.

Five of the 28 thrusters on the Boeing Starliner are having issues and there have been five Helium leaks on the space craft. Experts say a minimum of 14 thrusters are required for a safe return.

Boeing says, “Starliner has completed 77 of the original 87 flight-test objectives, with the remaining 10 will occur between undocking and landing.”

NASA says mission managers are evaluating future return opportunities following the station’s two planned spacewalks on Monday, June 24, and Tuesday, July 2. So it could well be nearly a month long stay for Ms Williams in space on her third mission to space.

“Starliner is performing well in orbit while docked to the space station,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program

“We are strategically using the extra time to clear a path for some critical station activities while completing readiness for Butch and Suni’s return on Starliner and gaining valuable insight into the system upgrades we will want to make for post-certification missions.”

Boeing has faced several hiccups in the Starliner development and initially it was to have completed this with a $4.2 billion contract but has now spent a total of about $ 5.7 billion and the going is still uphill as the mission remains incomplete.

NASA wanted a second alternative to SpaceX’s Crew Dragon and hence Boeing Starliner was being pushed through. Boeing is going through a bad patch in general and its aviation and aircraft business has also been stumbling.

NASA says Wilmore and Williams remain integrated with the Expedition 71 crew, assisting with station operations as needed and completing add-on in-flight objectives for NASA certification of Starliner.

Ms Williams is a qualified navy test pilot she had flown twice earlier to space in 2006 and 2012 and according to data from NASA, before this Starliner mission Sunita has already spent a cumulative total of 322 days in space.

“With seven space walks totalling 50 hours and 40 minutes, Sunita held the record for total cumulative spacewalk time by a female astronaut but that has since been overtaken by Peggy Whitson with 10 spacewalks.”

Ms Williams has helped design the Boeing Starliner so she should be familiar with all its details.

Such Delays Not Unforeseen on Maiden Missions

“We are taking our time and following our standard mission management team process,” said Stich.

“We are letting the data drive our decision making relative to managing the small helium system leaks and thruster performance we observed during rendezvous and docking. Additionally, given the duration of the mission, it is appropriate for us to complete an agency-level review, similar to what was done ahead of the NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 return after two months on orbit, to document the agency’s formal acceptance on proceeding as planned.”

Meanwhile, the space fairing community prays for the safe return of Ms Williams and Mr Wilmore, but it could be embarrassing for Boeing if SpaceX’s Crew Dragon were to be used to rescue the astronauts stuck at the space station.

“The crew’s feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, and they know that every bit of learning we do on the Crew Flight Test will improve and sharpen our experience for future crews,” said Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Boeing’s Starliner Program.

New Delhi:

Boeing’s Starliner space capsule was set for its inaugural test flight with NASA astronauts, including Indian-origin Sunita Williams, on board. However, the launch was automatically halted mere minutes before liftoff due to a computer abort system, marking another indefinite delay for the project.

The countdown to launch had reached the final stages when the automatic abort was triggered by the ground system computer responsible for coordinating the last moments before liftoff. With just three minutes and 50 seconds left on the clock, the system issued a command that stopped the launch sequence. According to officials, the Starliner capsule itself appeared to be in good condition.

History Of Challenges

This latest postponement is part of a series of last-minute technical issues that teams had been working through. Initially, NASA and Boeing planned for a potential launch window today. However, NASA decided against it, stating that additional time was needed to assess the issue thoroughly. The next available windows are June 5 and June 6.

“We got really close today,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s commercial crew program, as quoted by news agency Reuters. “I know it’s a little disappointing, we were all excited. This is kind of the way spaceflight is.”

Tory Bruno, CEO of United Launch Alliance (ULA), the joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin that owns the Atlas V rocket, suggested that the issue could be a hardware malfunction or a network communication problem between the three computers managing the automated launch systems.

Boeing’s journey with the Starliner has been fraught with challenges. The first attempt to send an uncrewed Starliner to the ISS in 2019 failed due to software and engineering problems. A second attempt in 2022 succeeded, setting the stage for this first crewed test mission. Previous delays, including a faulty pressure valve and various engineering issues, have already pushed the timeline back significantly.

Boeing’s Hopes

NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams were strapped into their seats for several hours before the mission was halted. Technicians safely assisted them out of the capsule, and they were returned to quarantine to await the next launch attempt. This mission is critical for Boeing, as it aims to establish the Starliner as a reliable option for ferrying astronauts to the ISS and beyond, competing against SpaceX’s Crew Dragon missions.

The Starliner program, under a $4.2 billion contract with NASA, has seen its budget swell to around $4.5 billion due to various setbacks. For Boeing, success with the Starliner is crucial, not only for its space ventures but also to recover from crises in its commercial aeroplane manufacturing operations. NASA, on the other hand, views the Starliner as a key component of its strategy to diversify its astronaut transport options, which is crucial for its broader Artemis program aimed at returning humans to the Moon and eventually to Mars.

Once launched, the Starliner is expected to dock with the ISS approximately 24 hours later. The mission includes tasks such as testing manual control capabilities and evaluating the spacecraft’s performance as a potential safe haven. After about a week at the ISS, the astronauts will return to Earth, landing with the help of parachutes and airbags in the US Desert Southwest.

New Delhi:

Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, the poster girl for women aspiring to fly into space, was set to reach for the skies again today in a brand-new spacecraft, but it did not happen as planned.

The launch into space on the Boeing Starliner was “scrubbed” or called off just three minutes and fifty-one seconds before lift-off. It is now postponed for another day. Both astronauts – Ms Williams and Butch Wilmore – were seated in the new Boeing Starliner spacecraft, which was on its maiden mission. It was to lift off using the Atlas V rocket from Florida, USA, at 10 pm, but it was postponed minutes before liftoff.

This is the second scrub for the Boeing Starliner spaceship. Both astronauts are safe. The Atlas V rocket is also safe. As of now, NASA estimates it will take at least 24 hours to try again, but no new liftoff time has been announced.

A technical glitch was detected by the ground launch sequencer, the computer that monitors the health of the rocket. The astronauts will now exit the Starliner capsule and return to the crew quarters at the Kennedy Space Center.

An earlier attempt on May 7 was postponed hours before liftoff due to a technical glitch. A NASA statement said, “Boeing, United Launch Alliance, and NASA scrubbed the previous launch opportunity on May 7 [India time] due to a suspect oxygen relief valve on the Atlas V rocket’s Centaur second stage. Since then, teams have removed and replaced the valve, and completed an assessment of Starliner’s performance and redundancy after discovering a small helium leak in the spacecraft’s service module.”

This would have been the third space travel for the Indian-origin astronaut, who has already spent 322 days in space and held a record for the maximum number of hours of spacewalk by a woman, before being overtaken by Peggy Whitson.

This time, she could make history as the first woman to fly on a maiden crewed mission of a new space shuttle.

Ms Williams went on her first space voyage on December 9, 2006, which lasted until June 22, 2007. While on board, she established a world record for women by going on four spacewalks that added up to 29 hours and 17 minutes.

The 59-year-old had admitted to being a bit nervous but said she had no jitters about flying in a new spacecraft. She had helped design the Starliner, working with engineers from NASA and Boeing. “When I reach the International Space Station, it will be like going back home,” she said.

New Delhi:

Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, the poster girl for women aspiring to fly into space, was set to reach for the skies again today in a brand-new spacecraft, but it did not happen as planned.

The launch into space on the Boeing Starliner was “scrubbed” or called off just three minutes and fifty-one seconds before lift-off. It is now postponed for another day. Both astronauts – Ms Williams and Butch Wilmore – were seated in the new Boeing Starliner spacecraft, which was on its maiden mission. It was to lift off using the Atlas V rocket from Florida, USA, at 10 pm, but it was postponed minutes before liftoff.

This is the second scrub for the Boeing Starliner spaceship. Both astronauts are safe. The Atlas V rocket is also safe. As of now, NASA estimates it will take at least 24 hours to try again, but no new liftoff time has been announced.

A technical glitch was detected by the ground launch sequencer, the computer that monitors the health of the rocket. The astronauts will now exit the Starliner capsule and return to the crew quarters at the Kennedy Space Center.

An earlier attempt on May 7 was postponed hours before liftoff due to a technical glitch. A NASA statement said, “Boeing, United Launch Alliance, and NASA scrubbed the previous launch opportunity on May 7 [India time] due to a suspect oxygen relief valve on the Atlas V rocket’s Centaur second stage. Since then, teams have removed and replaced the valve, and completed an assessment of Starliner’s performance and redundancy after discovering a small helium leak in the spacecraft’s service module.”

This would have been the third space travel for the Indian-origin astronaut, who has already spent 322 days in space and held a record for the maximum number of hours of spacewalk by a woman, before being overtaken by Peggy Whitson.

This time, she could make history as the first woman to fly on a maiden crewed mission of a new space shuttle.

Ms Williams went on her first space voyage on December 9, 2006, which lasted until June 22, 2007. While on board, she established a world record for women by going on four spacewalks that added up to 29 hours and 17 minutes.

The 59-year-old had admitted to being a bit nervous but said she had no jitters about flying in a new spacecraft. She had helped design the Starliner, working with engineers from NASA and Boeing. “When I reach the International Space Station, it will be like going back home,” she said.

Boeing’s Starliner capsule, atop an Atlas V rocket, sits on the launch pad during sunrise at Space Launch Complex 41 on June 1, 2024 in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
| Photo Credit: AP

Boeing took another crack on June 1 at launching astronauts for the first time aboard its new space capsule, after a delay for leak checks and rocket repairs.

The company’s Starliner capsule was due to rocket away at midday with a pair of test pilots to the International Space Station for a weeklong stay.

The test drive should have happened years ago. But problems kept piling up, most recently a leak that went unnoticed until the first launch attempt with a crew in early May.

NASA wants a backup to SpaceX, which has been flying astronauts for four years.

United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket is providing the lift from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Washington DC:

US space agency NASA on Thursday announced that the first crewed launch of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, piloted by Indian-origin Sunita Williams to the International Space Station (ISS), is now being targeted for June 1.

Mission managers from NASA, Boeing, and ULA (United Launch Alliance) continue to evaluate a path forward toward launching the Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT) to the International Space Station (ISS), the space agency said in a statement.

The teams are now working towards a launch opportunity at 12:25 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 1, with additional opportunities on June 2, June 5, and June 6.

A helium leak on the Starliner’s service module had delayed the spacecraft’s first mission to space carrying humans, which was initially planned for May 7 but was pushed back with successive delays.

Boeing’s Staliner spacecraft is designed to take Sunita ‘Suni’ Williams and fellow NASA astronaut Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore to the international Space Station as part of a final test before the US space agency can certify the Starliner for routine missions to and from the ISS.

The Starliner spacecraft will be catapulted into space on a Atlas 5 rocket of the rocket company United Launch Alliance (ULA) from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

The duo will remain docked at the orbiting laboratory for about two weeks to evaluate the new spacecraft and its systems before returning to Earth in the Western United States.

“There has been a great deal of exceptional analysis and testing over the last two weeks by the joint NASA, Boeing, and ULA teams to replace the Centaur Self Regulating Valve and troubleshoot the Starliner Service Module helium manifold leak,” said Steve Stich, manager of the NASA Commercial Crew Program.

“It has been important that we take our time to understand all the complexities of each issue including the redundant capabilities of the Starliner propulsion system and any implications to our Interim Human Rating Certification, he said in a statement issued by the US space agency.

“We will launch Butch and Suni on this test mission after the entire community has reviewed the teams’ progress and flight rationale at the upcoming Delta Agency Flight Test Readiness Review,” he said.

Both Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore continue practicing in Starliner simulators and the crew that remains quarantined will fly back to NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida closer to the new launch date, the space agency said.

Mission managers of the Boeing Starliner’s Crewed Test Flight (CFT) called off the mission on May 7, just two hours before the scheduled launch due to a valve glitch in the Atlas 5 rocket’s upper stage. Boeing said in its statement that the valve was successfully replaced on May 11 and tested to confirm it was working properly.

Later on May 14, NASA announced that the CFT mission scheduled for May 17 has been pushed to no later than May 21 due to what it described as a “small helium leak” in the spacecraft’s service module.

On May 17 the space agency said that the launch was further pushed back to May 25.

The flight marking Boeing’s first Starliner spacecraft mission with a human crew, is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which is working with the US aerospace industry through a public-private partnership to launch astronauts on American rockets and spacecraft from US soil.

NASA selected Boeing and SpaceX in September 2014 to transport crew to the International Space Station from the United States. These integrated spacecraft, rockets and associated systems will carry up to four astronauts on NASA missions, maintaining a space station crew of seven to maximize time dedicated to scientific research on the orbiting laboratory.

After a failed attempt in December 2019, Boeing conducted a successful uncrewed Orbital Flight Test 2 (OFT-2) in 2022. Its Starliner is expected to be reusable for up to ten missions within a six-month turnaround time, according to the aerospace company.

Elon Musk-owned SpaceX company’s Crew Dragon has performed 12 crewed missions since its first launch on May 30, 2020.

Boeing received over USD 4 billion in US federal funds to develop the Starliner, while SpaceX received about USD 2.6 billion.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)