The two NASA astronauts aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule for their first crewed flight encountered some problems Thursday as they approached the International Space Station.
The spacecraft was scheduled to dock with the orbiting outpost at 12:15 p.m. ET, but problems with five of the 28 boosters on the bottom of the Starliner capsule thwarted that attempt.
NASA said it is now targeting a docking time of 1:33 p.m. ET.
Flight controllers continue to monitor problems with the capsule’s reaction control thrusters, which are used to make precise changes to the spacecraft’s trajectory as it approaches the space station. Several tests managed to recover all but one of the thrusters, and mission managers gave the astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams green light to proceed with the docking attempt.
The Starliner capsule is designed to dock autonomously with the space station, but Wilmore and Williams can take manual control if necessary.
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is more than 24 hours into its long-awaited inaugural crewed test flight to the space station. The capsule lifted off atop an Atlas V rocket on Wednesday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The test flight was designed to demonstrate that the capsule can safely transport NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station. If successful, NASA could authorize Boeing to conduct regular flights to the space station for the agency.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
This article was originally published in NBCNews. with
