Boeing and NASA’s Starliner mission has passed its 45-day battery window to dock at the International Space Station. The capsule was initially approved to stay at the ISS for up to 45 days, but with no date set for the astronauts’ return, the stay has been extended indefinitely, and NASA and Boeing say the batteries are working well on the capsule. The spacecraft arrived at the ISS on June 6. Monday marks 46 days since they’ve been there. Related: Boeing’s Starliner return to Earth delayed indefinitely, no date set Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are the astronauts on board and expressed confidence in early July that despite the delay, they would return home safely. “I feel confident that if we have to, if there’s a problem with the International Space Station, we can get into our spacecraft, we can detach, we can talk to our team, and we can figure out the best way to get home,” Williams said at a news conference Wednesday. While Sunday was the end of the “45-day window” after the mission was approved, NASA and Boeing said the batteries are working fine and the capsule is safe to stay on the ISS beyond that window. “Whether they want to be behind them, I’m pretty sure they are. But I want to share with you, I haven’t heard anyone overly concerned about whether it’s going to be another week or 10 days or so,” said Ray Lugo, a space expert and CEO of the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space. WATCH: Boeing finally launches historic crewed mission on third attempt Starliner has been plagued by problems, including two attempts to abort before launch and a helium leak on the spacecraft. Back on Earth, engineers from Boeing and NASA were running tests on the thrusters to get an idea of what went wrong during the trip to the ISS. They said that if necessary, the astronauts would be safe to return home at any time. NASA and Boeing have said they hope to bring the astronauts home in the coming weeks. So far, no date has been set and there has been no indication that they plan to use another spacecraft to bring them home. For now, they are confident that they will be able to bring Wilmore and Williams home on the Starliner.
Boeing and NASA’s Starliner mission exceeded its 45-day battery window while docking with the International Space Station.
The capsule was initially approved to stay on the ISS for up to 45 days, but with no date set for the astronauts’ return, the stay has been extended indefinitely. NASA and Boeing say the batteries are working well on board the capsule.
The spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station on June 6. Monday marks its 46th day there.
Related: Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft return to Earth postponed indefinitely, no date set
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, the astronauts aboard the station, had expressed confidence in early July that they would reach home safely despite the delay.
“I’m confident that if we have to, if there’s a problem with the International Space Station, we’ll be able to get into our spacecraft, undock, talk to our team, and figure out the best way to get back home,” Williams said at a news conference Wednesday.
Although Sunday was the end of the 45-day window for which the mission was approved, NASA and Boeing said the batteries were working well and the capsule was safe to stay beyond that window at the International Space Station.
“Do they want this to be behind them? I’m pretty sure they do,” said Ray Lugo, a space expert and CEO of the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space. “But I want to tell you this, I haven’t heard anyone overly concerned about whether it’s another week or 10 days or so.”
WATCH: Boeing’s Starliner finally launches historic crewed mission on third attempt
The Starliner spacecraft has had several problems, including two attempted abort before launch and helium leaks on board the spacecraft.
Here on Earth, engineers from Boeing and NASA ran tests on the thrusters to get an idea of what went wrong during the flight to the International Space Station.
They said that if necessary, the astronauts would be safe to return home at any time.
NASA and Boeing have said they hope to return the astronauts home in the coming weeks. So far, no specific date has been set and there has been no indication they plan to use another spacecraft to bring them home.
As of now, they are confident they can bring Wilmohr and Williams home on the Starliner.
“Devoted student. Bacon advocate. Beer scholar. Troublemaker. Falls down a lot. Typical coffee enthusiast.”