Boeing’s troubled Starliner spacecraft will be the subject of NASA’s next media conference on Wednesday, August 7. The spacecraft has been stationed at the International Space Station (ISS) since its arrival in early June, a mission initially planned to last around 10 days. The Starliner mission, marking the first time the spacecraft transported crew to orbit, encountered complications with five of its thrusters during its approach to the ISS, along with a helium leak. These thrusters play a crucial role in controlling the spacecraft’s orientation and are essential for guiding it during reentry into Earth’s atmosphere on the return journey. Concerns surrounding the thrusters have prompted the mission team to postpone the return voyage while engineers investigate the issue and determine if the vehicle can safely bring back the two astronauts, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore. Wednesday’s update is anticipated to reveal the progress made by engineers in assessing the Starliner’s safety for the crew’s return and could even unveil a targeted flight date. NASA’s audio-only media teleconference will commence at 12:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, August 7. Listeners can access the teleconference via the video player embedded at the top of this page or by visiting NASA’s YouTube channel. Besides the Starliner situation, space agency officials will also address ongoing operations at the ISS and the SpaceX Crew-9 mission. NASA announced on Tuesday that due to the Starliner issue, the August 18 launch date for Crew-9 has been postponed, with a new target launch date set for no earlier than September 24.
Boeing’s Starliner Spacecraft Faces Issues, NASA to Hold Media Conference
