The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has provided an explanation for the mysterious noises that were heard coming from the Boeing Starliner spacecraft docked at the International Space Station (ISS). The space agency attributed the pulsing sound to an audio configuration issue between the station and the spacecraft.
NASA’s Commercial Crew team, via the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), stated that the feedback from a speaker within the Starliner spacecraft, which was reported by NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore, has ceased. The agency clarified that the complex audio system at the ISS, designed to interconnect multiple spacecraft and modules, can sometimes lead to noise and feedback.
NASA emphasized that the speaker feedback reported by Wilmore does not pose any technical risks to the crew, the Starliner spacecraft, or the station’s operations, including Starliner’s scheduled uncrewed undocking from the station no earlier than Friday, September 6, 2024.
Prior to NASA’s explanation, astronaut Wilmore had reported hearing strange noises, described as a sonar ping, coming from a speaker aboard the ISS. He contacted mission control at the Johnson Space Center in Houston (Texas), informing them of the unusual sounds.
The ground team at Johnson Space Center in Texas, connected to the Starliner through a radio frequency system, acknowledged receiving the pulsing noises. While the initial source of the anomaly remained unidentified, NASA has now clarified the cause.
It’s important to note that the Boeing Starliner was launched to the ISS on June 5th with astronauts Wilmore and Sunita Williams onboard. The spacecraft has experienced several technical issues since its launch, including helium leaks and thruster problems, leading to an extended mission beyond its initial three months.
Despite these challenges, NASA has decided to return the Starliner spacecraft back to Earth uncrewed. Starliner is scheduled to undock from the space station on September 7th at 3:34 am IST.
