NASA indicated Friday that no date has yet been set for the return of Boeing’s Starliner crew from the International Space Station, as the two astronauts continue testing and troubleshooting inside the capsule.
“We’re not in a rush to get back,” said Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager. The Associated Press reported..
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said in a statement on Friday. The company is working with Boeing to continually evaluate Starliner’s performance before it returns to Earth from its orbital laboratory.
Test pilots Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore launched in Boeing’s Starliner capsule on June 5 after a series of delays due to leaks and thruster problems. The event marked the first time the company had launched a crewed space mission.
Five of the 28 thrusters failed while attempting to dock with the space station earlier this month. The mission was scheduled to last about a week after the spacecraft finally docked, but a return date has not been determined as astronauts continue to test the spacecraft.
Officials said they wouldn’t set a date until they complete ground tests of the capsule’s thrusters in the New Mexico desert. They hope to replicate what happened during docking, which could take several weeks, according to the Associated Press.
“I want to be clear that Butch and Suni are not stranded in space,” Stitch said.
In the event of an emergency, the astronauts can use the capsule to escape.
The agency had previously indicated it was considering dates after the already planned spacewalks on June 24 and July 2. Both spacewalks have since been postponed, according to the Associated Press.
The mission was supposed to be a success story for Boeing, which has recently experienced a number of setbacks and negative attention amid an investigation into its safety culture following a mid-air jet explosion earlier this year.
The company aims to operate regular flights to the International Space Station, competing with Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, which were approved for commercial spaceflight in 2014.
The Associated Press contributed.
