Boeing's Starliner to Return from ISS on June 22nd

TapTechNews June 14th, NASA announced that Boeing's Starliner is currently targeted to return from the International Space Station no earlier than Saturday, June 22nd, which means that astronauts Willmore and Williams will stay on the station for four more days, and the total stay time will exceed two weeks.

The leadership of NASA and Boeing will later discuss the details of the return target, the flight status, and the weather considerations at landing at the pre-departure media conference call on Tuesday, June 18th at 12 PM Eastern US time.

Steve Stich, NASA's commercial spaceflight program manager, said, We are continuing to explore the capabilities of the Starliner to prepare for the realization of the long-term mission target of a six-month stay at the space station.

During this period, the CFT mission crewmembers Willmore and Williams will conduct additional inspections on the Starliner, including thermal testing of seven of the eight aft thrusters of the spacecraft and an assessment of the hatch. They will also conduct a 'safe haven' drill to help them prepare for emergency situations.

By extending the time at the space station and conducting more tests, we can obtain valuable data, which is a unique opportunity for us, said Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager of Boeing's commercial spaceflight project.

Nappi also emphasized that the CFT mission was designed to take into account possible delays, and the NASA and Boeing teams have sufficient leeway and time at the space station to maximize the learning opportunity for all partners.

Referring to TapTechNews' previous report, Boeing's CST-100 Starliner was launched with two astronauts on June 5th and docked with the International Space Station on June 6th. It was originally planned to separate from the space station and return to Earth on June 14th local time. This mission is a key test before NASA's certification flight of the Starliner.