Sunita Williams Stuck In Space As NASA Halts Boeing Starliner’s Return Indefinitely

Imagine being stuck in space, this is exactly what has happened with the Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams who is likely to remain in space for a few more days, as NASA has again postponed the Boeing Starliner’s return back to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS). The US space agency requires more time to review the spacecraft’s technical issue, therefore the delay.

NASA has not provided a specific date for when the spacecraft’s return journey will be carried out which has astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore. This has certainly raised some questions about the timing of the return of the two astronauts aboard the Boeing spacecraft.

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Why The Delay?

The return was initially scheduled for 14 June and was later postponed to 26 June. However, the plan has changed as the station has to go through two planned walks one on 24 June and the other on 2 July.

“Mission managers are evaluating future return opportunities following the station’s two planned spacewalks on June 24 and July 2,” Reuters quoted NASA’s statement.

“We are taking our time and following our standard mission management team process,” said Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager.

Steve Stich also noted that Starliner’s performance in orbit has been positive, emphasizing that additional time in space would provide valuable insights for system upgrades in upcoming missions.

Previous Missions Of The Spacecraft

In the previous two test flights of the Boeing spacecraft, no Humans were involved and it had encountered 5 failures in its 28 maneuvering thrusters. Furthermore, there were reports of five leakages of Helium gas and a slow-moving propellant valve.

When Can We Expect The Astronaut’s Return?

As of now, NASA hasn’t set a new return date for Sunita Williams from her space mission. Delays are likely due to ongoing issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft and additional testing required by both NASA and Boeing. According to Reuters, Boeing has exceeded its $4.5 billion NASA contract by nearly $1.5 billion due to cost overruns.

Successfully completing this mission is  crucial for Boeing, as it would establish them as the second company capable of ferrying astronauts to the ISS, following SpaceX’s Crew Dragon since 2020.

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