- Boeing has again delayed the return of the Starliner from the International Space Station.
- The spacecraft has faced several delays and technical problems since its launch on June 5.
- The company appeared to downplay the issues, telling the Financial Times that the mission “is going well.”
Boeing is doing damage control as its first manned commercial spacecraft remains at the International Space Station (ISS) with no confirmed return date.
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams traveled on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on June 5 after a series of technical delays, and were scheduled to remain docked in space for between eight and 10 days.
However, 12 days after the crew arrived, Boeing postponed the spacecraft’s return to June 26.
Another delay was announced on Friday. The aviation company said it needed time to schedule two spacewalks and assess problems on board after five helium leaks.
As Business Insider previously reported, helium supports Starlink’s reaction control system thrusters, which allows them to fire.
In a statement to the Financial Times, Boeing said the delays were not considered a failure.
“It is a test flight,” the statement said. “The mission is still ongoing and is going well.”
A company spokesperson told BI that it has “expanded the mission to collect more data” on the helium leaks.
They said the helium systems and thrusters are located in the spacecraft’s service module, which is “discarded and burns up in the atmosphere upon re-entry,” preventing a failure analysis from taking place on Earth.
The spokesperson added that the helium leaks had been fixed and were “not a concern for the return mission,” while four of the five boosters were operating normally.
“Starliner is performing well in orbit while docked to the space station,” the spokesperson said, although he added that no return date has been confirmed.
They said a new return date will be evaluated after the second spacewalk on July 2.
“The crew is in no rush to leave the station as there are plenty of supplies in orbit and the station schedule is relatively open until mid-August,” they added.
As BI reported on Thursday, the Starliner delay is the latest in a series of controversies surrounding the company.
Boeing has faced criticism from lawmakers, airlines and whistleblowers, many of whom have alleged that your approach to aviation security it was not enough.
The company previously told BI that these allegations did not represent the work it has done to “ensure the long-term quality and safety of the aircraft.”
NASA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
