Problems with a few of the thrusters and leaks of the helium gas that forces fuel into the propulsion system had already caused the return to Earth of the ship to be delayed.
Before determining when to return its astronauts home, NASA is conducting a high-level evaluation of the technical issues.
Although Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are safe, what has gone wrong with the spacecraft and how will this affect their return trip?
Despite a minor helium gas leak, tarliner was launched on June 5. Helium powers spacecraft propulsion systems and those that slow down to reenter Earth’s atmosphere.
Since the leak was so tiny, the engineers decided to proceed with the launch, believing it would have no impact on the mission.
However, five of the mission’s 28 maneuvering thrusters failed during the approach to the space station, with four of them being restarted. Additionally, four more helium leaks occurred throughout the mission.
The eight-day mission was intended to end, but while engineers looked into the problems, the return date was pushed again.
