After a successful launch last week, Starliner’s return to Earth from the International Space Station has been pushed back.
NASA and Boeing said on Sunday that the return date of the Boeing Starliner has been delayed to no earlier than Saturday, June 22. It was initially pushed back to no earlier than June 18 to give the crew time to complete a spacewalk and allow engineers to monitor three small helium leaks that were detected in the capsule following the initial launch. Now, NASA says the extra time will finalize departure planning.
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Wednesday, marking the first crewed flight for Starliner. It was the third attempt with astronauts since early May.
The delay of the spacecraft’s return date and helium leaks follow a series of difficulties with the Starliner’s mission. The first attempt at launch on June 1 was scrubbed due to issues with the computer ground launch sequencer and complications with the docking process at the International Space Station also arose as a result of five thrusters that failed on the capsule.
After conducting a series of reaction control system tests, four thrusters were recovered. The crew eventually successfully docked at the space station on Thursday.
The initial plan was for the flight crew to spend only a week on the space station.
The spacewalk is scheduled to happen on Thursday and is one of three spacewalks the NASA astronauts aboard the spacecraft are set to conduct. NASA plans to discuss the upcoming endeavors during a news conference on Tuesday.
Teams at NASA and Boeing are targeting a parachute-assisted landing in the southwest U.S. sometime after June 18.
[WATCH BELOW: Crowds gather to watch historic Starliner launch]
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