Delays in Starliner missions have been extensive as the last crewed flight was supposed to last eight days, but with multiple capsule issues, it stretched to well over nine months. The status of upcoming launches for Boeing is now under deliberation at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
The return of the SpaceX Dragon Freedom with Starliner members Sunita ‘Suni’ Williams and Butch Wilmore from the International Space Station or ISS was successful. Soon after the return, NASA officials gathered to hold a press briefing on the next test flight for the Starliner. Steve Stich, commercial crew program manager, said the Starliner will fly a crewless test flight before it is used for any future crewed flights.
Stitch mentioned it recently, “Our goal is to conduct that initial test flight and then transition into a crew rotation flight.” He further added, “The upcoming flight will thoroughly assess all the modifications we’ve implemented on the vehicle, and the subsequent flight will be crucial for integrating Boeing into a crew rotation schedule. That’s our plan.”
In June 2024, Williams and Wilmore finished Boeing’s first astronaut-crewed flight of the Starliner capsule. What was to be a week-long mission to the ISS was unexpectedly prolonged to over nine months due to helium leaks and thruster problems.
It had been decided to send the Starliner back to Earth without a crew after docking with the ISS and encountering considerable delays, while Williams and Wilmore would be sent back on another craft. Last week marked the end of the long mission of the astronauts with their safe splashdown in a SpaceX capsule off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida.
Stitch noted that the next flight for the Starline has the aim to check the proper functioning of the thruster which is extremely important after recent updates to the propulsion system.
