Two U.S. astronauts flew into the International Space Station on 5 June aboard the Starliner spacecraft and were originally scheduled to return to Earth on 14 June.
This matter is attracting more and more attention around the world.
The Starliner, the first manned test flight of the Starliner, was jointly developed by Boeing and NASA's Commercial Manned Program project team, and the spacecraft lifted off on June 5 with two American astronauts, Barry Wilmore and Suni Williams, and arrived at the International Space Station on June 6. The spacecraft was scheduled to leave the ISS on June 14 and return to Earth, but the return time has been repeatedly delayed due to thruster failures and helium leaks during test flights, and the two pilots have spent nearly a month on the ISS.
On June 28, local time, NASA said that before the engineering team completes a series of ground tests of thruster technology, the return time of the Boeing "Starliner" spacecraft will continue to be postponed, and a definite return date cannot be given at present.
It is understood that the "Starliner" has carried out two unmanned test flights since 2019, and during this manned test mission, there were 5 thruster failures, 5 helium leaks, and 1 poor operation of the propellant control valve. NASA and Boeing had to conduct more tests to confirm that the problem was resolved.
Steve Stick, NASA's commercial manned program manager, stressed that the two American astronauts are very safe at the moment. "Our plan is to still let them return on a 'starliner.'"
Source: China Daily