The return of the first manned flight of the Boeing Starliner space capsule from its journey to the International Space Station (ISS) has been postponed until further notice, according to the US space agency NASA. “We are taking our time and following our standard mission management team procedures,” said NASA program manager Steve Stich.
The Starliner vehicle performed well when docking with the ISS, and the additional time can now provide valuable insights to improve the system on future missions, Stitch said. Starliner was originally scheduled to return on June 26.
The start was postponed several times
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sonny Williams blasted off to the International Space Station on June 5 to receive routine flight approval from NASA. Detaching Starliner from the International Space Station and returning to Earth is the most complex stage of the test mission. The launch had to be postponed several times due to technical problems, and docking with the International Space Station did not go smoothly.
NASA wants to create the Starliner alongside the Crew Dragon from Elon Musk's space company SpaceX as another spacecraft to take astronauts into space. However, the software has been plagued for years by software glitches, design problems, and disputes with suppliers. It is now several years behind schedule and more than $1.5 billion over budget.
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