The test flight for Boeing’s new Starliner capsule was meant to last 10 days. But NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have now been gone for two months. The pair is still stuck on the International Space Station with no date set for their return.
Five malfunctioning thrusters and a helium leak from the propulsion system prompted NASA to keep the capsule, which launched June 5, at the ISS. NASA and Boeing are troubleshooting Starliner’s issues on the ground in New Mexico, but it appears firing the thrusters in space heats them up in a way not seen back on Earth.
NASA says Wilmore and Williams can leave urgently if needed but it prefers to keep them at the space station until more tests are completed. The astronauts say they believe the capsule will bring them back without issues.
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