CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Boeing is closer to understanding what went wrong with its astronaut capsule in space now that tests of a backup booster are complete here on Earth.
The Starliner capsule has been docked at the International Space Station since June 6. It was supposed to be back with its NASA test pilots in mid-June, but due to failures in the thrusters and helium leaks, NASA and Boeing decided to extend its stay.
Officials said Thursday that there is still no return date for astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. Engineers will first disassemble the booster that has been tested in New Mexico for the past few weeks. They will then analyze the data before releasing Starliner for the trip home.
“We’ve collected an incredible amount of data from the booster that will help us better understand what’s happening during flight,” said Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager, in a statement.
According to NASA, the tests were able to simulate the conditions the thrusters will experience up until the capsule docks with the space station, as well as what the thrusters will experience between undocking and descent.
This is the first test flight of the Starliner with crew on board.
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