NASA and Boeing continue working to increase their understanding of the Starliner spacecraft’s propulsion system before the return of agency astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to Earth from the International Space Station. Teams are conducting ground tests at the agency’s White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico using a new Reaction Control System thruster previously planned for use on a future Starliner flight.
Wilmore and Williams provided an update Wednesday about their flight on Starliner and work aboard the space station during an Earth to space call. Following the crew news conference, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program Manager Steve Stich and Boeing Commercial Crew Program Manager and Vice President Mark Nappi spoke extensively about the mission and testing plans ahead of the Crew Flight Test return. Listen to a replay of the leadership briefing.
After an agency-level readiness review later this month, NASA and Boeing plan to select a new target return date for the Crew Flight Test. Following this review, NASA plans to host a televised briefing and will share more details on that when finalized.
Follow the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew on X, and commercial crew on Facebook for the latest mission updates.