Regarding Starliner once again: Just to further complicate matters, SpaceX had its first Falcon 9 launch anomaly in years (over 300 launches!) last night. The second stage engine apparently had a RUD 
on restart for the perigee raising maneuver, leaving its Starlink satellites payload in a lower than desired orbit. Looking at the replay, there was a notable amount of something freezing out above the nozzle. There will need to be an investigation, so it could potentially be months before the next Crew Dragon flight.
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NASA, Boeing Complete Starliner Engine Testing, Continue Analysis
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft that launched NASA’s Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station is pictured docked to the Harmony module’s forward port. This long-duration photograph was taken at night from the orbital complex as it soared 256 miles above the Arabian Sea off the coast of Mumbai, India. Photo credit: NASA
NASA and Boeing engineers are evaluating results from last week’s engine tests at NASA’s White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico as the team works through plans to return the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test from the International Space Station in the coming weeks.
TL;DR — Starliner is still up there, waiting to come home. Hopefully.
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Meanwhile, the crew of the Boeing Starliner Calypso have begun week eight of their eight day tour on the ISS.
The mate was a mighty sailing man, the skipper brave and sure…
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Seriously, I can’t imagine climbing back into that thing.
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There’s another press conference tomorrow; maybe NASA will finally set a return date. The capsule has now passed the 45 day mission duration that it was spec’ed for on this first manned flight. Sure, there’s always a safety margin, and I won’t really start becoming concerned until around twelve weeks, but at the moment the only backup is to have Wilmore and Williams ride down as cargo in the Dragon that’s presently docked.
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Neither can I, but if there’s anything I’m sure of in life, it’s “astronauts are a lot braver and more daring than I am”
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If I learned anything from The Right Stuff, half of them are also nuts.
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I’m sure NASA will post this later, but in today’s briefing the agency stated that a Starliner return date won’t be set until after a review of Boeing’s thruster ground tests. That review won’t be until the first week of August, so the mission is being extended at least a couple more weeks.
They also said that there’s a contingency plan, but did not go into details.
A three hour tour. A three hour tour.
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They’re going to walk back.
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It’s been proposed in the past.
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That doesn’t look like walking to me.
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Well, it would start with a space walk…
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Hey man, lay off the peanut butter. You shouldn’t even be here!
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At least the astronaut will be safe and there won’t be any monster.
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NASA, Boeing Discuss Ground Testing, Forward Work for Starliner Return
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams aboard, approaches the International Space Station for an autonomous docking as it orbited 257 miles above the South Pacific Ocean on June 6, 2024. Photo credit: NASA Television
NASA and Boeing leadership provided an update on Starliner’s Crew Flight Test during a news conference Thursday. The integrated Starliner team continues to assess the spacecraft’s propulsion system performance and complete other tasks before scheduling its undocking from the International Space Station and return to Earth. Watch the full replay of the news conference.
The weather started getting rough, the tiny ship was tossed
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Berger is well-connected within the space flight community, and if he is starting to openly wonder if Starliner will be returning sans crew, I would pay serious attention to his reasons.
If not for the courage of the fearless crew
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Well, odds are it was part of a command sequence uploaded days earlier since the timeline was set in stone by that time, but the point still stands.
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I swear, the Starliner saga just gets more bizarre the longer it goes on. The latest is unconfirmed word that the capsule at present cannot autonomously undock from the ISS and perform deorbit and landing operations despite having done so twice previously. Why? Supposedly Boeing removed that code for the crewed flight! What the heck‽ And while the software can be updated while the Starliner is on orbit, the amount of code needed to restore the capability will take approximately a month to upload!
So here’s the problem; both international docking ports are in use, one by Crew-8’s Dragon and one by Starliner. Crew-8’s Dragon can’t undock until Crew-9 is on station. Crew-9’s Dragon has nowhere to dock until Starliner departs one way or the other. But if NASA decides to have Williams and Wilmore return on a Dragon, Starliner must undock and deorbit without anyone onboard!
Edit: Another press conference tomorrow — stay tuned.
The Minnow would be lost. The Minnow would be lost.
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