Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft made headlines at the beginning of June when it lifted off for its first crewed test mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Unfortunately, part of the reason the trip made headlines was because a helium leak in the thrusters turned the weeklong trip into a much longer affair.
The launch encountered delays when there was a helium leak in thrusters on the service module, but the spacecraft was eventually able to launch with astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams on board. However, when Starliner reached orbit the leak returned as five leaks and four malfunctioning thrusters. The spacecraft was able to dock with the ISS under manual control, where it remains while NASA and Boeing work on a solution.
Both organizations have stated that Starliner, and by extension Wilmore and Williams, are “not stranded” on the ISS. The two are safe and comfortable and helping the ISS Expedition 71 crew while engineers back on Earth investigate the leaks and make sure everything is good to go for a return trip home. Those tests should be completed by the end of the month, hence an expected return of sometime in August, though no exact date has been announced.
