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There is still no conclusion on when the two American astronauts who were forced to stay on the International Space Station due to a malfunction of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft will be able to return to Earth.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced on the 6th that since the International Space Station currently has no spare dedicated docking ports, the subsequent manned flight plan will be postponed for at least one month to buy more time for the "Starliner" spacecraft to resolve the malfunction. However, US media admitted that as time goes by, the risks and pressures borne by Boeing and NASA are increasing.

Manned Dragon spacecraft launch forced to postpone

The American Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) website stated on the 6th that NASA said in a statement on the same day that it would postpone the launch of the manned "Dragon" spacecraft that will transport the next batch of four astronauts (Crew-9) to the International Space Station from August to no earlier than September 24. "This will provide more time to analyze the thruster failure and helium leakage problems encountered by Boeing's "Starliner" spacecraft after its launch in June."

The US "Space Flight" website said anxiously that American astronauts Williams and Wilmore, who were on the "Starliner" spacecraft, arrived at the International Space Station on June 6 and were supposed to return in mid-June, but have now stayed there for more than 60 days. The "Starliner" spacecraft suffered serious failures such as helium leakage and attitude control engine failure during its arrival at the International Space Station, and Boeing has not been able to find out the specific cause. According to reports, Boeing has conducted multiple tests on the ground and in space in the past few weeks. Boeing said on July 25 that engineers had conducted rigorous ground tests and, although the root cause of the problem was not found, they "narrowed the scope of possible causes of the failure." "The 'Starliner' ground team is taking the time to analyze the recent engine test results and ultimately confirm the reliability of the entire system before the spacecraft returns to Earth." Boeing also cited the test results last weekend, saying: "Boeing remains confident in the ability of the 'Starliner' and its crew to return safely."