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Indian-origin Sunita Williams is likely to spend a few more days in space as NASA has further delayed the return of Boeing Starliner to Earth from the International Space Station. This development comes after the US space agency decided to take more time to review the technical problems of the spacecraft.
This time NASA did not announce any new date for the return flight of the spacecraft carrying astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore. With no announcement about the next date, questions are being raised about the timing of the return of the two Boeing astronauts.
What is the reason for the delay in Sunita Williams’ space flight?
The return spaceflight of Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore was earlier scheduled for June 14, and was later postponed to June 26. However, scientists are now planning for future possibilities of space return due to the station’s two planned spacewalks on June 24 and July 2.
“Mission managers are evaluating future return opportunities following the station’s two planned spacewalks on June 24 and July 2,” Reuters quoted a NASA statement as saying.
“We’re taking our time and following our standard mission management team process,” said Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager.
Steve Stich also pointed out that Starliner is performing well in orbit and spending more time in space will provide “valuable information” for system upgrades for future missions.
About the test flight of Boeing Starliner
Boeing Starliner’s previous two test flights, without humans on board, revealed failures in five of its 28 maneuvering thrusters. In addition, there were reports of five leaks of helium gas and a slow-moving propellant valve, Reuters reported.
What is the next date for return space flight?
So far NASA has not announced any other date for Sunita Williams’ space flight. There is a high possibility that she will take longer to return, as problems with the Starliner spacecraft and additional testing done by NASA and Boeing could cause further delays. According to a Reuters report, Boeing has invested about $1.5 billion in costs. This amount is beyond its $4.5 billion development contract with NASA. The successful completion of the space flight will kickstart Boeing’s journey to become the second company to build spacecraft capable of carrying astronauts to the ISS. So far, only Elon Musk-led SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft has been the primary ride to the ISS since 2020.
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Published: June 23, 2024, 08:11 PM IST
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