Boeing’s new Starliner capsule, carrying its first two-member NASA crew, was scheduled to dock with the International Space Station on Thursday. This follows the detection of helium leaks, highlighting new issues during the critical test mission.
The CST-100 Starliner, with astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams on board, launched from Florida on Wednesday for a long-awaited test flight. This mission aims to demonstrate the spacecraft’s flightworthiness and heighten Boeing’s competition with SpaceX.
The reusable, gumdrop-shaped capsule was launched atop an Atlas V rocket by United Launch Alliance (a Boeing-Lockheed Martin joint venture) and is on a one-day journey to the ISS. It is expected to dock autonomously at around 12:15 p.m. ET (1615 GMT).
During the flight, helium leaks were found in Starliner’s propulsion system, rendering some of its 28 thrusters unusable. However, the astronauts are safe, and the spacecraft has backup thrusters to compensate, according to NASA and Boeing.
Starliner uses helium to pressurize the propellant for its thrusters. NASA and Boeing did not specify the location of the affected thrusters or the rate of the helium leak.
Despite this, NASA mission managers gave Boeing the go-ahead on Thursday morning for Starliner to proceed with docking. Once docked, Wilmore and Williams will conduct standard procedures, including checking for airlock leaks and pressurizing the passage between the capsule and the ISS before opening the entry hatches.
They will be welcomed by the current seven resident crew members of the ISS, including four U.S. astronauts and three Russian cosmonauts.
Wilmore and Williams plan to stay aboard the station for about eight days. They will then return to Earth, with Starliner re-entering the atmosphere and landing with parachute and airbag assistance in the U.S. Desert Southwest—a first for a crewed NASA mission.
The Starliner launch follows years of technical challenges, delays, and a successful 2022 test mission without astronauts. Previous crewed launch attempts were canceled due to last-minute issues, including a helium leak that was later deemed not serious enough to require a fix.
Boeing built Starliner under a $4.2 billion contract with NASA to provide an alternative to SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, which has been NASA’s only vehicle for sending ISS crew members to orbit from U.S. soil since 2020. This mission is Starliner’s first test flight with astronauts, necessary for NASA certification for regular missions.
Wilmore, 61, and Williams, 58, are NASA veterans with 500 days in space between them. Wilmore is a retired U.S. Navy captain and fighter pilot, and Williams is a former Navy helicopter test pilot with experience flying over 30 different aircraft.
Boeing’s development of Starliner has faced delays and cost overruns, now $1.5 billion over budget. Meanwhile, Boeing’s commercial airplane manufacturing has been affected by crises involving its 737 MAX jetliners.
