(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) Embattled aircraft manufacturer Boeing left two astronauts stranded in space after an unresolved maintenance issue, according to the Independent.
Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore landed on the International Space Station on June 6 on a Boeing Starliner spacecraft, and expected to be there for only a week.
Mechanical problems delayed arrival back on earth for several weeks. The astronauts must remain on the ISS until June 26 at the earliest.
Williams and Wilmore reported issues with five thrusters and four helium leaks on their incoming space flight. The ship sprung an additional helium leak while parked at the station.
“We want to give our teams a little bit more time to look at the data, do some analysis, and make sure we’re really ready to come home,” said Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager.
Experts reported that Starliner should be operational soon.
Dana Weigel, manager of the International Space Station, said the crew was happy about the delay.
“They love Starliner, they love being in the vehicle, they love being on ISS,” Weigel said. “I think, you know, if you ask Butch and Suni, they might want to stay for a long period of time.”
Boeing neglected to release official statements from the astronauts regarding the delay.
Boeing’s Starliner attempted to compete with SpaceX’s new Crew Dragon capsule, which reliably sent crew members to the space station for several years.
In 2019, the Starliner failed several unmanned tests due to software glitches and design problems. It took three more years for the group to perform a successful landing on the ISS.
This most recent debacle reflected poorly the already struggling Boeing.
Boeing airplanes faced scrutiny from the public and the Federal Aviation Administration after a jetliner suffered an inflight fuselage blowout, causing the main cabin to lose pressure.
Boeing has a history of prioritizing virtue signaling and DEI initiatives over customer safety as well as constantly making internal changes on their safety reporting process, causing confusion among their employees.
