By RTL/ANP News··Modified:
from right to left
The two astronauts stuck on the International Space Station will not return to Earth until February next year, NASA announced at a press conference.
Astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Suni Williams departed for the International Space Station on June 5. The Starliner spacecraft they took on the outbound flight turned out to be unsafe for reentry. During the flight, a helium leak was detected.
Such a problem also existed before the launch. In addition, there were problems with the spacecraft’s propulsion.
painful
For a long time, there was doubt whether the astronauts would be able to return in Boeing’s Starliner. It is now known that this is not possible. Boeing’s competitor SpaceX will return Wilmore and Williams to Earth in February next year. This is another blow to Boeing, as the Starliner program is not going as planned.
The Starliner mission is now turning into a major television series. The mission had been delayed for years due to previous flaws.
little success
With Starliner, Boeing wants to compete with Dragon from SpaceX, Elon Musk’s space company, but that vehicle has flown safely to and from the International Space Station more than two dozen times.
For Boeing, this is only the third flight, only one of which can be described as partially successful.
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