The return of the Starliner spacecraft, which took NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore to the International Space Station (ISS) earlier this Month, has been postponed. Following lift-off on June 5, the Boeing-built spacecraft docked at the ISS and was scheduled to begin its return journey towards Earth on June 26.

THE REASON FOR POSTPONING:

Steve Stich, manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, said on June 21 that they were managing the “small helium system leaks and thruster performance” on the aircraft. SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS MISSION The mission is seen as a landmark for the entry of another private player in the American space sector. THE PRIVATE AGENCIES TO TAKE ASTRONAUTS IN SPACE: Before Boeing, Elon Musk’s company SpaceX was the only one to successfully take US astronauts to space. HTTPS://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/LIST_OF_PRIVATE_SPACEFLIGHT_COMPANIES

ABOUT THE STARLINER SPACECRAFT

  • The Boeing website describes the CST-100 Starliner as a “space capsule that Will take people to and from low-Earth orbit. (LEO)”
    • LEO refers to Earth-centered orbits with an altitude of 2,000 km or Less. According to NASA, this is considered near enough to Earth for convenient transportation, communication, observation, and resupply.
  • Starliner’s spacecraft was developed in collaboration with NASA's Commercial Crew Program.
  • It can accommodate up to seven passengers or a mix of crew and cargo for LEO Missions.
  • It is also reusable up to 10 times with a six-month turnaround time.
  • Its significance also lies in the fact that NASA stopped its Space Shuttle Program in 2011 and needed private players to step in.
    • Back in 2012, Spacex’s Dragon spacecraft became the first Commercial spacecraft to deliver cargo to and from the ISS.
    • In 2020, it became the first to take humans to space and bring them Back.
  • The current mission was also postponed multiple times. (From May)
  • It was supposed to reach the ISS and dock and stay latched onto it for eight Days. This would allow the astronauts to work on the ISS, where multiple countries’ astronauts carry out research and experiments. Then, it would un-dock and fly the astronauts back to Earth.
  • The mission was mainly aimed at proving the spacecraft’s ability to take the Crew and bring them back.
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE TWO ASTRONAUTS? The spacecraft can remain docked for up to 45 days. Beyond that, the ISS has supplies and other materials that can last for several months. Therefore, there is no immediate danger to the two astronauts. If safety concerns remain, they may have to come back to Earth on SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, which is also currently attached to the ISS, according to a report in The Guardian.

ABOUT ISS

  • The ISS has been in space since 1998. It orbits the earth at an altitude of 430 km, with an inclination of 52 degree with an orbital velocity of 7.7 km/s.
  • It circles the Earth in roughly 93 minutes, completing 5 orbits per day.
  • A space station is essentially a large spacecraft that remains in low-earth orbit (LEO) for extended periods of time. It is like a large laboratory in space.
  • It allows astronauts to come aboard and stay for weeks or months to carry Out experiments in microgravity.
  • ISS has been known for the exemplary cooperation between the five participating space agencies that have been running it. These countries are:
    • NASA (United States),
    • Roscosmos (Russia),
    • JAXA (Japan),
    • ESA (Europe), and
    • CSA (Canada).