On June 5, Commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Pilot Sunita “Suni” Williams launched Starliner on its maiden orbit with the astronauts aboard.
The NASA astronauts were expected to spend eight days in orbit after docking on the International Space Station.
But issues have beset Boeing’s Starliner, and the ship’s return to Earth has been repeatedly postponed.
A Russian satellite burst close to the International Space Station (ISS), forcing the astronauts to seek safety inside the spacecraft during their prolonged stay there.
On the other hand, Starliner might have had trouble leaving the space station if they had to evacuate.
Due to a malfunction in the propulsion system, the spacecraft is able to back the capsule away from the International Space Station and position itself to plunge through Earth’s atmosphere.
According to NASA’s commercial crew manager, Steve Stich, many of Starliner’s thrusters have overheated when fired, and leaks of helium—which is used to pressurize the thrusters—seem to be related to how often they are used.
