Boeing’s faulty Starliner vehicle is scheduled to depart from the International Space Station this evening and return to Earth without its two-person crew, 73 days later than intended. Weather permitting, the small bus-sized module will parachute six hours later in New Mexico to the White Sands Space Harbor.
The vehicle’s inaugural crewed mission launched June 5 with astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore in tow for a planned eight-day trip to the ISS. Shortly before docking, five of the service module’s 28 thrusters misfired (see breakdown). On-Earth tests point to a possible overheated, swollen Teflon seal blocking the flow of propellant. Later analysis revealed a separate helium leak in the propulsion system.
The issues have forced engineers to delay the astronauts’ homecoming out of caution. After over two months of deliberation, officials opted to return a crewless Starliner to Earth and transport the two astronauts in February aboard SpaceX’s regularly scheduled Crew Dragon spacecraft. See how the stranded pair have passed the time here.
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Open the door HAL…
Where’s Will Robinson when you need him.
Who would trust Boeing now for their space tech? Heck, makes you question their planes too with all the issues they’ve had with the MAX the past few years. Maybe they’ve lost their best talent to SpaceX and Blue Origin. NASA should suspend any contracts with them until they get their ducks in a row.
Every Time I read about this, I think of the TV Show Gilligan’s Island, THAT was supposed to be just a 3 Hour Tour……LOL. Of course, I always wondered why they brought so much with them.