Boeing Starliner: NASA To Take More Time Evaluating Helium Leak Data, From Ride “Uphill”

[Modified legacy graphic. This is more of a crewed return. . . stand-down, of sorts.] When human cargo is involved, there is zero readon to rush a de-orbit.

And so, the June 26 ride home has effectively become sometime after the July 4 holidays. Suni and Butch get about a month more of space time that originally forecast -- in this encore trip to ISS -- and I'm fairly certain they love that.

This will allow an agency level review, and an express vote of confidence for the trip home. Here's the latest:

. . .NASA and Boeing leadership are adjusting the return to Earth of the Starliner Crew Flight Test spacecraft with agency astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams from the International Space Station. The move off Wednesday, June 26, deconflicts Starliner’s undocking and landing from a series of planned International Space Station spacewalks while allowing mission teams time to review propulsion system data. Listen to a full replay of the June 18 media briefing where NASA and Boeing leadership discussed the ongoing efforts.

“We are taking our time and following our standard mission management team process,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. “We are letting the data drive our decision making relative to managing the small helium system leaks and thruster performance we observed during rendezvous and docking. Additionally, given the duration of the mission, it is appropriate for us to complete an agency-level review, similar to what was done ahead of the NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 return after two months on orbit, to document the agency’s formal acceptance on proceeding as planned. . . .”

Ahem. That said, I think we all agree: take whatever time you need -- to get it right. I doubt that the craft is in any manner unsafe, but if it is. . . then auto firing it out past the Moon (empty) and arranging another ride home would be wildly preferable, to any de-orbit anomaly / accident. Onward.

नमस्ते