The country will hear directly from NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams for the first time since the duo left Earth on June 5 aboard Starliner.
The astronauts will speak from space at 11 a.m. They were part of Boeing's first manned expedition to the International Space Station (ISS) since the private aeronautics company and NASA agreed to a $4.2 billion public-private partnership in 2014.
Helium leaks in the propulsion system and faulty thrusters turned a week-long mission into an indefinite stay in space.
The spacecraft is currently docked with the ISS as engineers troubleshoot problems and “gather data” to improve the spacecraft, Boeing and NASA officials said.
THE STARLINER WAS THE ASTRONAUTS' “LIFEBOAT” IF THE DESTROYED RUSSIAN SATELLITE CRASHED INTO THE SPACE STATION
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams during NASA's livestream of their launch on June 5, 2024. (POT)
They stressed that the astronauts are not stranded and that there is no race against time to bring them home.
Chloe Mehring, the Starliner flight director who coordinated the ignition efforts with Wilmore and Williams, said July 3: “Starliner is in good health and there have been no anomalies reported with the spacecraft.”
Boeing examines why astronauts remain in space
“We have updated some onboard products to support continued docking durations through the month of July and during the higher positive beta periods ahead,” Mehring said.
After corrections were made in early July, Wilmore said, “Good news. Great job. Copied everything,” on the ISS space-to-ground loop, according to NASA's July 3 press release.
Boeing's Starliner capsule in low orbit before reaching International Space Station for the first time with a manned crew. (NASA/YouTube)
The mission and its importance
Boeing and the SpaceX funded by Elon Musk The programs are key players in NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP), which would allow NASA to send astronauts and cargo to the ISS without relying on Russia.
The CCP was founded under former President Obama in 2010, a year before NASA retired the space shuttle after 30 years.
COVERED: A RUSSIAN SATELLITE IMPLODES
To get cargo and astronauts to the ISS, the United States has turned to Russia, spending about $90 million per astronaut for each round trip.
In 2014, Boeing and SpaceX won NASA contracts after a lengthy competition, bringing the average cost down to less than $70 million per astronaut.
Boeing's Starliner and SpaceX's Crew Dragon are very different rockets. (POT)
CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
SpaceX has had multiple successful crewed launches since its first one in 2020.
Starliner's launch on June 5 was Boeing's first crewed expedition to the ISS.
