2024-07-06 17:07:33
The Starliner en route to the ISS © John Raoux/AP/dpa
There have been repeated problems with the “Starliner” over the years. At the beginning of June, the spacecraft took off with astronauts for the first time. But now he is stuck in space.
Cape Canaveral – It takes years to complete the first manned launch of the spaceship “Starliner” – then it does not return to Earth for now. The International Space Station has sent two astronauts to the “Starliner” for a month now, although they were only supposed to stay at the outpost of humanity at an altitude of 400 kilometers above the Earth for a week.
Week after week, Barry Wilmore and Suni Williams wait on the ISS until they return to Earth. The background is new problems after launch at the Cape Canaveral spaceport at the beginning of June: the crisis-stricken spacecraft was unable to dock with the ISS on the second attempt after problems with the engines.
In addition, a new helium leak occurred on the spacecraft – such a leak was found before takeoff, but according to the US space agency NASA, it did not pose a threat to the flight. Accordingly, tests must be carried out on the current equivalent engines on Earth before the green light can be given for undocking. The authority emphasizes: No one is stranded in space.
Another option could be errors other than Musk’s spacecraft
The “Starliner” is a partially reusable spacecraft containing a capsule about three meters high for the crew and a service module and, unlike the “Crew Dragon” from Elon Musk’s company SpaceX, it does not land on water but on Earth .
In this photo released by NASA, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore (r) and Suni Williams await launch in the Boeing “Starliner” capsule at Space Launch Complex 41. © Uncredited/NASA/AP/dpa
It went on a manned test flight for the first time on June 5 after many years of delay. US Vice President Kamala Harris spoke of an “important milestone” in manned space travel. The test flight was postponed several times due to various technical problems with the spacecraft and the rocket. Among other things, there were also problems with a faulty computer system on the ground.
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