Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft launched on June 5 with its first crew of two NASA astronauts, and was originally scheduled to return to Earth on Friday. However, changes to the return date may be announced during the mission as needed.
NASA officials in Houston are working through various contingencies for the Starliner’s return, including repairs to malfunctioning components, weather conditions, and scheduling issues with the International Space Station (ISS).
Despite some technical challenges, NASA and Boeing were able to repair most of the issues during the flight. The current plan is for the Starliner to return on June 18 and land at either the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico or Willcox Playa in Arizona. However, this plan could change depending on mission updates.
Dina Contella, Deputy Program Manager for the ISS at NASA, mentioned a new problem with a valve on the Starliner on Tuesday. There were also additional helium leaks detected in the propulsion system, adding to the four identified during the journey to the space station last week.
