NASA signaled Friday that the return date for Boeing’s Starliner crew from the International Space Station had not yet been set, as the two astronauts continue to test and work out issues inside the capsule.
“We’re in no rush to get home,” said Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager, The Associated Press reported.
NASA said in a statement on Friday which is working with Boeing to continue evaluating the Starliner’s performance before “returning to Earth from the orbiting laboratory.”
Test pilots Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore launched Boeing’s Starliner capsule on June 5 after a series of delays caused by leaks and thruster problems. The event marked the first time the company launched a manned mission into space.
While trying to dock with the space station earlier this month, five of the 28 thrusters fell off. Once the spacecraft finally docked, the mission was scheduled to last about a week, but the return date is now unknown as astronauts continue testing on the spacecraft.
Officials said they will not set a date until ground testing of the capsule boosters in the New Mexico desert is completed. They want to replicate what happened during the docking, but that could take a few weeks, according to the AP.
“I want to make it very clear that Butch and Suni are not trapped in space,” Stich said.
If there was an emergency, the astronauts could use the capsule to escape.
The agency previously indicated it was evaluating dates after the already planned June 24 and July 2 spacewalks. Both spacewalks have since been postponed, the AP reported.
The mission was intended to be a success story for Boeing, which has recently experienced many setbacks and negative attention amid investigations into its safety culture following a mid-air explosion on one of its jets earlier this year.
The company aims to have regular flights to and from the International Space Station to compete with Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, which received approval for commercial space flights in 2014.
The Associated Press contributed.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
