Washington, DC, July 11
NASA astronauts Sunita "Suni" Williams and Barry "Butch" Wilmore, who rode Boeing's Starliner spaceship to the International Space Station and were due to return to Earth last month, may instead have to stay up there until August of this year. During their first press conference from space, Williams and Wilmore addressed reporters as engineers continue to resolve technical concerns that have prolonged their stay in space beyond originally planned. A number of helium leaks and malfunctioning thrusters had raised safety concerns, delaying the launch of the Starliner multiple times. Williams and Wilmore are the pioneering human crew members of the Starliner test flight, a landmark mission developed by Boeing.
The two space travelers are certain that the Starliner will return them to Earth. Nevertheless, the astronauts' expected return date has not been announced by NASA. "I feel confident that, if we had to, if there was a problem with the International Space Station, we would get in (the Starliner spacecraft) and we could undock, talk to our team, and figure out the best way to come home," according to a story from CNN.
"We're absolutely confident," Wilmore stated on Starliner's capacity to return them home, according to the US network. "I am very confident that the spacecraft will safely return us to Earth, without a doubt," Williams informed reporters while on the International Space Station.
Williams expressed their joy at being back in the orbiting laboratory, saying that it feels like home. "I'm not complaining, Butch isn't complaining, that we're here for a couple of extra weeks." The Indian-origin NASA astronaut is making her third space mission.
The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying Wilmore and Williams took out from Space Launch Complex-41 at Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on June 5th, carrying out NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test mission.
They are currently testing Starliner and its subsystems on the International Space Station (ISS), which they docked to on June 6. This testing is part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program and is the next phase in the spacecraft's qualification for rotational trips.
When asked about her and Wilmore's arrival on the International Space Station, Williams informed reporters on Wednesday that they have joined the seven other astronauts already there to assist with routine activities.
"We've been doing science for them, maintenance, some major maintenance that it's been waiting for a little while, like stuff that's been on the books for a little bit," Williams said CNN in an interview. Elon Musk's SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is designed to transport astronauts in lower Earth orbit, while the Starliner is meant to provide NASA with a second private commercial crew option.
The 35-day space mission by Williams and Wilmore is continuing to test both in orbit and on Earth in preparation for future long-duration missions. Since their arrival, the US Navy veterans have been performing science and maintenance aboard the International Space Station, according to reporters. Williams claimed to have done gene sequencing, while Wilmore used a 3-D printed moon microscope for studies, and a new pump was installed on Starliner to fix the station's urine processor.
Williams announced, "We've been thoroughly busy up here," with the addition that they are now part of the International Space Station crew they've called "Expedition 71-plus." Michael Barratt, Matt Dominick, Tracy C. Dyson, and Jeanette Epps are the NASA astronauts on board the ISS as part of Expedition 71. Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkin, and Oleg Kononenko are the cosmonauts from Roscosmos.
After NASA terminated the Space Shuttle Program in 2011, the Commercial Crew program began providing financing to Boeing and SpaceX so that they may transport humans to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2014. The United States government allocated over $4 billion to Boeing for the Starliner's development, while SpaceX received approximately $2.6 billion. Since its maiden voyage on May 30, 2020, the Crew Dragon, a product of SpaceX, has completed twelve crewed trips to the International Space Station.
