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Astronauts Barry Wilmore (right) and Sunny Williams spoke during a live broadcast from the International Space Station on July 10. Image credit: NASA

A full month has passed since the scheduled return date, and the two American astronauts who arrived at the International Space Station on Boeing's "Starliner" spacecraft do not know when they will be able to return to Earth. Why are they stranded in space? And how will they return?

Spacecraft malfunction

On June 5, the first manned test flight of the "Starliner" spacecraft was launched from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Base in Florida, the United States, on a United Launch Alliance "Atlas 5" rocket, sending American astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunny Williams to the International Space Station. The spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station on June 6 and was originally scheduled to leave the space station and return to Earth on June 14, but due to problems such as thruster failure and helium leakage, the return time has been repeatedly postponed.

On June 5, Boeing's Starliner spacecraft carried out its first manned test flight mission, carrying two American astronauts to the International Space Station. Xinhua News Agency (Photo provided by NASA)

According to a report on the US space website on June 18, some of the thrusters of the "Starliner" failed during its first attempt to dock with the International Space Station. The spacecraft also had helium leaks several times during its mission. The two astronauts who took off on the "Starliner" have been testing various systems of the spacecraft in orbit, and the ground team is continuing to analyze data to better deal with thruster failures and helium leaks.

Steve Stick, manager of NASA's commercial manned program, said in a media conference call on June 28 that the engineering team will begin a series of ground inspections and tests on the Starliner's thruster technology at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico as early as July 2. This may take several weeks, and a specific return date cannot be given until these tests are completed.

How to return

Stick said at a media conference call held by NASA on July 10 that the ground test data is still being analyzed. Although the return plan has not been finalized, the best plan is still to send the two astronauts back to Earth by the "Starliner". Optimistically, they can return in late July, but it may also be mid-August.

On June 5, astronauts Barry Wilmore (front left) and Sunny Williams (front right) prepared to board Boeing's "Starliner" spacecraft to carry out a manned test flight mission. Xinhua News Agency (Photo provided by NASA)

The two astronauts expressed their confidence in the Boeing spacecraft's ability to safely return them to Earth during a telephone conference call that day. According to multiple U.S. media reports, Williams said during the call: "I have a good feeling that this spacecraft will take us home." Wilmore said: "We are absolutely confident... failure is not an option."

Currently, in addition to the Boeing Starliner, there are also the Dragon spacecraft of Space Exploration Technology Company of the United States and the Soyuz spacecraft of Russia docked at the International Space Station. Stick admitted that at least one of these manned spacecraft can be used as an "alternative solution" to send astronauts back to Earth.

According to information previously released by NASA, the Starliner can dock with the space station for up to 45 days, that is, until July 21; in special circumstances, it can also be extended to 90 days with the help of backup systems. There are currently 9 astronauts in the International Space Station.

First manned

Since the retirement of the US space shuttle in 2011, the US has vigorously developed commercial manned spaceflight. Boeing and SpaceX received contracts from NASA for manned spacecraft projects in 2014 to build the Starliner manned spacecraft and the manned version of the Dragon spacecraft, respectively, to transport US astronauts to the International Space Station.

On October 5, 2022, the Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon spacecraft was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the United States. Xinhua News Agency (Photo provided by NASA)

The Dragon spacecraft developed by Space Exploration Technologies Corporation completed its first manned test flight in 2020 and has since carried out regular commercial manned space missions many times. In December 2019, the Starliner failed to enter the planned orbit during its first unmanned test flight and was forced to cancel its mission to the International Space Station. In May 2022, the Starliner successfully docked with the International Space Station during its second unmanned test flight.

After several delays, the Starliner will make its first manned test flight in June 2024. After this mission, NASA will conduct final certification for the spacecraft to perform regular commercial manned space missions and regularly transport astronauts to and from the space station.

On June 5, Boeing's "Starliner" spacecraft was launched from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Base in Florida. Xinhua News Agency (Photo provided by NASA)

After arriving at the International Space Station on June 6, Wilmore and Williams will not only undertake daily maintenance and scientific experiments on the space station, but also check the relevant systems and abnormal conditions of the "Starliner". Stick said that the long stay at the International Space Station will help the team prepare for future manned space missions of the "Starliner".