Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Manoj Kumar
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, carrying astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams, is preparing for its return journey from the International Space Station (ISS), encountering technical hurdles since its June 5 liftoff.
NASA has postponed the astronauts’ return three times without a confirmed date. Starliner has the capability to dock at the ISS for up to 45 days, extendable to 72 days if necessary. The current target return date is July 6, significantly extending the original eight-day mission plan.
Credit : NASA
Boeing’s Starliner project, despite experiencing multiple setbacks over the past six years in its production and testing phases, was granted approval by NASA to proceed with crewed flights.
Boeing’s Starliner project encountered delays shifting its initial 2017 test launch plan to early 2018, further extended to late 2018 due to supplier delays and production challenges with Spacecraft 2. Originally slated for November 2018, the inaugural two-person Starliner flight was postponed to 2019 or 2020. NASA also expanded the crew size and potential mission duration to up to six months aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
The Starliner project had encountered substantial challenges, with its inaugural voyage in 2020 nearly resulting in disaster. A subsequent NASA safety review revealed that Boeing had compromised critical aspects of its planning process.
Certification reviews revealed that “soft links,” which connect Starliner’s parachutes to the capsule, have lower load limits than expected. This issue decreases the safety margin of the parachute system, posing risks if one parachute fails.
Credit : NASA
While being transported to launching pad, a segment of the capsule’s window was observed to dislodge and fall onto the asphalt. CBS space news reporter William Harwood shared footage capturing this incident. The procession paused momentarily to inspect for any damage before proceeding to Space Launch Complex 41 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Boeing subsequently verified that the item that fell off was a protective cover for the window.
Boeing identified a flammable acrylic adhesive in the P-213 glass cloth tape used to wrap wire harnesses inside Starliner. This tape protects cables from chafing, with potential ignition risks if insulation is compromised.
Initially reported before launch as insignificant, Starliner experienced four additional helium leaks in orbit, affecting thruster operations and safety margins.
Critical manoeuvring thrusters on Starliner have shown erratic behaviour, raising concerns about their reliability during the spacecraft’s return journey. Despite initial failures, some thrusters have been restored, but one still remains non-functional.
The situation recalls past incidents where technical issues necessitated alternative return plans for astronauts, such as the 2022 coolant leak in Russia’s Soyuz capsule, highlighting the complexities and risks of space missions.