WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft will not return its two astronauts from the International Space Station until engineers spend “a couple of weeks” on tests to investigate problems with the spacecraft’s engine, a NASA spokesman said on Friday.
Starliner, which has been docked to the ISS since June 6 after ferrying its first crew of astronauts there, has had its test mission delayed due to a series of problems with its engines and leaks of helium, which is used to pressurize the engines.
The NASA-Boeing joint propulsion team has scheduled ground tests at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico to test the firing of the same type of Starliner engines currently in space.
“This will be a real opportunity to study the engine, just like we did in space, on the ground for a detailed inspection,” NASA commercial crew chief Steve Stich told reporters during a news conference.