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Despite recent technical issues, The NASA test pilots waiting to return from the International Space Station expressed confidence in Boeing’s Starliner capsule.
Initially slated for an eight-day mission, it has now been extended to potentially late July due to helium leaks and thruster failures. To address the thruster issues, efforts are being made to troubleshoot a replica unit at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. According to NASA, the propulsion system faced five thruster failures during the capsule’s approach to the space station. Currently, four thrusters are reactivated.

In a recent news conference from the Space Station, the astronauts confirmed they would return once thruster tests on Earth conclude. “I have a real good feeling in my heart that the spacecraft will bring us home, no problem,” Williams said. He added, “That mantra you’ve heard, failure is not an option, that’s why we are staying here now. We trust that the tests that we’re doing are the ones we need to do to get the right answers, to give us the data that we need to come back.”
According to officials, the tests carried out by Boeing and NASA have yet to replicate the issues Starliner faced, raising concerns about potential damage to the thrusters.
Despite the setbacks, Boeing’s Vice President of its Commercial Crew Program has reassured the press that the Starliner can still return the crew in an emergency. He added, “we want to fill in the blanks and run this test to assure ourselves of that.”