Sunita Williams' Earth Return May Take Months: NASA Likely to Extend Mission 🚀

[Muichiro.T]

The Boeing Starliner project which was slated to last only some days has become an indefinite project with the first test carrying astronaut such as Indian-origin Sunita Williams put on hold with undetermined time for return. NASA is now mulling over an increase of the mission’s timeline from 45 to 90 days to perform the ground tests in New Mexico to reveal the cause of the observed helium leaks and thruster failures during the flight to the International Space Station. NASA’s Commercial Crew Program manager, Steve Stich stressed that the attitudes about the safety of the Starliner before any astronaut returns and Boeing’s Mark Nappi said that it was crucial to solve the remaining problems of the spacecraft through their tests. The Starliner is still attached to the ISS as the engineers are still investigating on the issues that made it malfunction. At the same time, NASA’s astronauts perform their routine space station chores, get ready for the disposal of the Cygnus freighter, and work on medical and space botany experimentations.

 

[kosekibiboo]

Sunita Williams' extended mission emphasizes dedication in space exploration. NASA and Boeing prioritize safety and spacecraft reliability while addressing technical issues.