Boeing and NASA delay return of Starliner astronauts to June 22

boeingNASA's Starliner “Calypso” capsule will remain at the International Space Station twice as long as originally planned, NASA announced Friday.

This developmental nature of the mission, known as Boeing's crew flight test, is on display as the company and NASA conduct a variety of tests on Starliner while it is docked to the ISS. The mission marks the first time Starliner has carried a crew, and Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are set to fly the spacecraft back to Earth next week.

Before its launch on June 5, Boeing and NASA planned for Starliner to be in space for nine days.

But the Calypso mission is now expected to return to Earth on June 22, departing the ISS at 11:42 p.m. ET on June 21 before landing about six and a half hours later, at 6:26 a.m. ET. That means the Starliner crew flight test will now last at least 17 days, about double the original plan, for further testing of the spacecraft.

NASA said those tests include operating the capsule's hatch, firing seven of its thrusters and checking cabin air temperatures, all while program managers and astronauts “finalize planning and egress operations.”

The agency also noted that Starliner would “repeat some 'safe haven' tests,” but did not explain why this was necessary. A safe haven test is when ISS astronauts use a spacecraft as a shelter during an emergency. NASA said that “the spacecraft remains cleared for emergency crew return scenarios within flight rules,” referring to the possible scenario of an unexpected evacuation of astronauts from the ISS.

NASA, after issuing an update on Friday, deferred CNBC's request for further clarification until a press conference to be held on Tuesday, before the planned departure.

The crewed flight test represents an important last step before NASA certifies Boeing to fly crewed on six-month operational missions. However, like the two previous uncrewed space flights, Starliner runs into a number of problems during the mission.

Prior to launch, a single leak was identified in Calypso's helium propulsion system. The leak was deemed stable and did not pose a threat to the safety of the capsule, so the launch moved forward and successfully delivered Starliner to the ISS.

However, since docking with the ISS, the spacecraft has experienced four additional helium leaks. NASA wrote earlier this week that Calypso “has plenty of room to support the return trip” based on the current rate of the five leaks, with 10 times the needed helium capacity in its tanks.

As Boeing guided Starliner to docking, another problem, which NASA says is independent of the helium leak, arose with the spacecraft's propulsion system. Starliner has 28 jets, known as reaction control system engines, or RCS, that help the spacecraft make small movements in orbit.

Five of the 28 boosters were not working, but after fixing the problem, Boeing recovered four of the Starliner's faulty reactors and NASA allowed the spacecraft to dock.

NASA said Friday it would conduct hot-fire tests before undocking seven of the eight boosters near the tail of the spacecraft. Hot fires are very short bursts from the propellants, and Boeing is looking to evaluate the performance of the propellants. NASA did not specify whether any of the seven boosters to be tested were the same as the five that stopped working before docking.

Boeing Vice President Mark Nappi said in a statement that even though the mission has doubled in duration, “we have plenty of margin and time left on the station.”

Starliner was once seen as a competitor to SpaceX's Dragon, which has made 12 crewed trips to the ISS in the past four years. However, several setbacks and delays have pushed Starliner into a backup position for NASA, and the agency plans to have SpaceX and Boeing carry astronauts on alternating flights.

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the duration of the flight test.