Starliner was the astronauts’ lifeboat if the Russian satellite was destroyed on the space station; no return date yet

Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) docked with their “lifeboat vehicles” and prepared for an emergency evacuation after a decommissioned Russian satellite broke into hundreds of pieces.

That included Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which officials said could have reached Earth if debris crashed into the ISS.

“We used Starliner for that safe haven capability,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP).

“(The astronauts) boarded the spacecraft, started the vehicle, closed the hatch and were ready to execute … an emergency undock (from the ISS) and land.”

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Starliner, a creation of Boeing as part of its private-public partnership with NASA, launches on June 5, 2024, for the first time with a manned crew. (NASA/YouTube)

Starliner’s June 5 launch with astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore aboard was the first Boeing-led expedition to the ISS since 2014, when Boeing and NASA agreed to a $4.2 billion public-private partnership.

Helium leaks in the propulsion system and faulty thrusters turned a week-long mission into an indefinite stay in space.

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The Starliner is docked at the ISS while engineers gather data to fix the problems.

The helium leaks “are all stable and not a concern for a return mission,” according to Boeing, and four of the five thrusters that were shut down “are operating normally.”

Boeing’s Starliner capsule in low orbit before arriving at the International Space Station for the first time with a manned crew. (NASA/YouTube)

Starliner docks at the International Space Station. (NASA)

“I want to make it very clear that Butch and Suni are not stranded in space,” Stich said during Friday’s conference call with about two dozen media outlets. “Our plan is to continue to get them back to the Starliner and bring them home in due time.”

It is not known when it will happen.

Reporters peppered Boeing and NASA with questions, seeking details about their plans to bring Williams and Wilmore home and challenging officials’ assertions that the astronauts are not stranded, although there is no timeline for the return. Theirs.

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“We have a little more work to do to get there for the ultimate return,” Stich said. “We are in no hurry to come home.”

NASA and Boeing have repeatedly said the astronauts are safe and “in good spirits,” while stressing that this is a good opportunity to gather more data.

NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore aboard Starliner before launch on June 5, 2024. (NASA/YouTube)

Preparations for further testing on Earth are underway. The thrusters were brought to NASA’s White Sands Test Facility in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, where testing could begin as early as Tuesday.

This is expected to take “two weeks”, according to Stich, adding that this will determine the timetable for the astronauts’ return home.

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“This is our opportunity to examine the propellant, as we have in space, with detailed field inspection,” he said.

Boeing said in an earlier email to Fox News Digital that it is imperative to take advantage of the time they have and gather as much data as possible because the troubled service module, where the helium leak occurred and where the thrusters are located defective, is discarded when the crew. leaves the ISS.

They burn up in the atmosphere on reentry, so they can’t be tested.

“An aurora streamed below Boeing’s Starliner, docked forward port on the Harmony module as the International Space Station rose 266 miles above the Indian Ocean southwest of Australia,” according to NASA. (NASA/Matt Dominick)

Its mission and importance

Boeing and SpaceX funded by Elon Musk programs are key players in NASA’s CCP, which will allow NASA to send astronauts and cargo to the ISS without relying on Russia.

CCP began under former President Obama in 2010, a year before NASA retired the space shuttle after 30 years.

To get cargo and astronauts to the ISS, the US has relied on Russia, spending about $90 million per astronaut for each round trip.

In 2014, Boeing and SpaceX were awarded contracts to NASA after a lengthy competition, bringing the average cost down to under $70 million per astronaut.

Boeing’s Starliner and SpaceX’s Crew Dragon are very different rockets. (NASA)

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SpaceX has had multiple successful manned launches since its inception in 2020.

Starliner’s launch on June 5 was the first Boeing-led expedition to the ISS, but a series of issues turned a weeklong mission into an indefinite stay in space.

Officials on Friday stressed that this is a “test flight” and there are plenty of supplies. They said Williams and Wilmore are “in good spirits.”