NASA may extend Starliner’s mission to 90 days; Here’s why

The first crewed test mission of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, carrying two astronauts, is scheduled to take only a few days, but it is already in the air with no confirmed return date to Earth. According to CNN, NASA’s manager of the Commercial Crew Programme, Steve Stich, stated that the US space agency is thinking of extending Starliner’s mission from 45 days to 90 days.

The Starliner, which experienced problems with helium leaks and thruster failures on its way to the International Space Station in early June, has been linked by officials to a safe return for astronauts, including Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams of Indian descent.

Engineers are still unsure of the cause of the Starliner’s issues, according to Stich and Mark Nappi, vice president and programme manager of Boeing’s Commercial Crew Programme. Meanwhile, Williams and Wilmore have integrated with the rest of the crew currently aboard the International Space Station and are conducting routine tasks. 

Nappi highlighted that one goal of the ground tests while the vehicle is still in space is to attempt and narrow down potential causes for the thrusters’ malfunction. Mark Nappi said, “So, if (the test in New Mexico) comes back and gives us all the answers, then we can just undock and come home.” He added, “If it comes back and says, ‘Here’s 80 per cent of the answer. And if you just run one more docked hot fire (test on the Starliner in orbit), then you can get 100 per cent of the answers’ — then we want (Starliner) to be there so that we can get that information.” 

What does NASA say?

Addressing a briefing on Friday, the NASA official said, “We’re just looking at the timeline to execute (the test in New Mexico) and then review the data.” He further said, “And that’s what’s really the long pole, I would say, determining a landing date.” 

Stich added, “We’re not in a rush to come home.” Part of that desired extension is due to the ground tests that Boeing and NASA plan to conduct in New Mexico, seeking to better understand why some of the Starliner’s thrusters unexpectedly failed during the first leg of its journey.

Leaks in spacecraft…

Together with the thruster problems, several other helium leaks were discovered during the spaceship’s journey to the International Space Station. According to CNN, there were multiple problems with the Starliner’s service module, a cylindrical component located at the bottom of the spacecraft that supplies most of the power for the vehicle while in flight.

The servicing module is not meant to survive the return trip to Earth. Because the module is destroyed and expelled as the Starliner spacecraft reenters the atmosphere, the NASA and Boeing teams decided to leave the spacecraft safely docked with the space station while they investigated the problems as thoroughly as possible.

According to the most recent information available on the current space mission, the crew members of Expedition 71 packed a US cargo ship on Friday, cleaned the International Space Station, looked into future piloting tactics, and performed eye checks. Nappi said, “We’ve got a really good test flight that’s been accomplished so far, and it’s being viewed rather negatively.”

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts spent the day reconfiguring a space botany facility. In its live blog, NASA stated, “Robotics controllers are scheduled to detach the Cygnus space freighter from the Unity module on July 12 and release it into Earth orbit for disposal over the South Pacific Ocean ending a five-and-a-half-month mission at the orbital lab.” NASA Flight Engineer Matthew Dominick spent most of the time on Friday on loading trash and discarding gear inside the Cygnus with assistance from fellow NASA astronauts Jeanette Epps and Tracy C Dyson. Canadarm2 robotic arm captured the Cygnus on February 1, with more than 8200 pounds of science experiments and crew supplies.

On Friday, Starliner’s Commander and Pilot, Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams in Kibo conducted space botany work. They removed the Plant Habitat growth chamber from Kibo’s EXPRESS rack, replaced its camera and carbon dioxide sensors, then reinstalled the research device.

In the liveblog, NASA said, “NASA and Boeing continue to evaluate Starliner’s propulsion system performance before returning to Earth from the orbiting lab. NASA and Boeing leaders participated in a media teleconference today to discuss Starliner and station operations.” “NASA is now targeting the end of July for the next spacewalk outside the space station. This change allows teams on the ground to continue to troubleshoot and understand the water leak in the service and cooling umbilical unit that forced an early end to a spacewalk on Monday, June 24,” it added.

Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub practised planetary spacecraft and robotic piloting techniques for future crew members and conducted two sessions of an investigation exploring ways to create new materials on the lunar surface. Meanwhile, Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin worked throughout the day inventorying medical kits and cleaning fans inside the Rassvet module and Station Commander Oleg Kononenko replaced thermal components in Roscosmos’ life support hardware. 

(with inputs from ANI)