Boeing Delays Starliner Return, NASA Says Astronauts Not Stranded

Officials say the Starliner team has begun a test campaign for the spacecraft’s propulsion technology in White Sands, New Mexico — tests that will be completed before the Starliner returns to Earth.

“We think the testing could take a few weeks,” Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew manager, said during a press conference. “We’re trying to replicate flight conditions as best we can on Earth.”

Before the June 5 launch, Boeing and NASA planned for Starliner to stay in space for nine days. As of Friday, Starliner had been in space for 24 days and counting.

Despite the long stay at the International Space Station, officials have insisted that Starliner is safe to return to at any time in the event of an emergency. NASA and Boeing say the test delay is simply to gather more data on the spacecraft’s performance, particularly its propulsion system.

“I want to make it clear that Butch and Sonny are not stuck in space,” Stitch said.

The Starliner crew flight trial represents the last major step before NASA receives Boeing’s license to fly a crew on six-month operational missions. However, like the previous two unmanned spaceflights, the Starliner faces several problems during the mission.

Starliner was once considered a competitor to SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, which has made 12 crewed flights to the International Space Station over the past four years. However, various setbacks and delays have steadily pushed Starliner into a backup position for NASA, where the agency plans to send SpaceX and Boeing astronauts on alternate flights.