The Starliner spacecraft successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) at 12:34 AM today (Hanoi time) over the southern Indian Ocean.
After the docking process was successful, two NASA astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, moved from Boeing’s Starliner to the ISS. “We are ready to get to work,” Wilmore said. Meanwhile, Williams celebrated the successful flight by performing a dance.
Boeing’s Starliner approaches the International Space Station (ISS) for docking. (Photo: NASA TV).
The initial docking event was scheduled for 11:15 PM on June 6 (Hanoi time), but issues with the thrusters and a helium leak delayed the process by over an hour. “I can say that Starliner made us work a bit harder to get to the docking,” said Steve Stich, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program Manager. He also noted that teams of experts on the ground are working to investigate the issues that arose during the flight.
Wilmore and Williams are the first astronauts to fly on Starliner, a spacecraft that Boeing and NASA hope to use for regular trips to the ISS, a feat accomplished by SpaceX for the past four years. Starliner launched atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Florida on June 5, following multiple delays.
Before the launch, experts were aware of a helium leak on the spacecraft. Although it was not a fire hazard, helium is crucial for providing pressure to the thruster system. They determined that the leak was too small to cause significant impact. However, during the flight, two additional leaks occurred, and another was discovered after the docking, totaling four leaks. This suggests that the cause is likely related to a broader issue rather than an isolated incident. Currently, two of the leaks have been addressed.
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams enter the ISS on June 7. (Video: NASA TV).
The engineering team believes that the reserve helium is still abundant and that Starliner will not experience further leaks during its docking with the ISS in space. However, this issue will be monitored and further investigated on other Starliner spacecraft currently being produced at Boeing’s factory, according to Mark Nappi, Boeing’s Commercial Crew Program Manager.
In addition to the leaks, Starliner also faced issues with its thrusters. As planned, about an hour before the final approach to the ISS, Wilmore and Williams began to manually control the spacecraft to test Starliner’s manual control mode. Five thrusters in the reaction control system failed on the service module, but the two astronauts managed to bring four of them back online.
The cause of the failure has not yet been clarified, Stich noted. He emphasized that it is not uncommon for new spacecraft to encounter issues. NASA’s Space Shuttle program and SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft also faced problems in their early stages.
During their approximately week-long stay on the ISS, Wilmore and Williams will continue to assess Starliner’s systems, including conducting simulations to determine if the spacecraft can serve as a safe shelter in case of emergencies on the ISS. After completing their mission, Starliner will detach from the ISS and re-enter the atmosphere. Subsequently, traveling at a speed of 28,000 km/h, the spacecraft will slow down and land gently with parachutes and airbags in the western United States.
