Malfunction in Spacecraft: Indian-Origin NASA Astronaut Sunita Williams Stuck In Space
- By Thetripurapost Web Desk, California
- Jun 25, 2024
- 233
Two NASA astronauts, including Indian-origin Sunita Williams, are stuck in space after a malfunction in the Boeing Starliner. Engineers have found several problems in the Boeing spacecraft.
Teams on the ground are now busy assessing the condition of the Starliner.
Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore were scheduled to return to Earth on June 13 after spending a week on the International Space Station (ISS), but their return was postponed for the third time after a malfunction in the Boeing Starliner.
According to NASA, the astronauts will not return home before June 26.
Boeing's Starliner capsule successfully took off for its first crewed flight from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 10:52 am local time on June 5.
But during the 25-hour flight, engineers detected five separate helium leaks in the spaceship's thruster system. After this, it was decided to postpone the return of the spacecraft.
NASA has said that the dangerous return flight has been postponed to fix the problem in Starliner. Due to this, both astronauts will have to stay on the space station for at least three weeks.
Boeing's Starliner program manager Mark Nappi said in a press conference on June 18, 'We have come to know that our helium system is not working as designed. Although it is manageable, it is not working the way we designed it. So we have to find out.'