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NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams walk at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, ahead of Boeing's Starliner-1 Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket to the International Space Station, in Cape Canaveral, Florida, the United States, June 5, 2024. /Reuters
Boeing's Starliner spacecraft will keep its two astronauts at the International Space Station (ISS) longer than planned, as engineers need "a couple weeks" to thoroughly test and address issues with its thrusters, a NASA official revealed on Friday.
NASA did not set a return date and said the astronauts are safe.
Starliner has been docked at the ISS since June 6 after delivering its first crew, but its mission has been extended due to problems with its thrusters and helium leaks used for pressurization.
A joint team from NASA and Boeing will conduct ground tests at New Mexico's White Sands Missile Range to evaluate the thrusters, mirroring conditions in space.
"This will be the real opportunity to examine the thruster, just like we've had in space, on the ground for detailed inspection," explained Steve Stich, NASA's commercial crew chief.
Starliner's docking on June 6 was delayed by an hour due to five thrusters failing out of 28. Boeing managed to adjust the software of the propulsion system, restoring four thrusters to enable docking with the ISS.
The fifth thruster failed for reasons unrelated to the others, prompting NASA and Boeing to extend the mission, initially slated for eight days.
The thorough examination of the thruster issues on the ground marks a critical step in resolving the setbacks faced by Starliner during its mission to the ISS.