Sunita Williams reveals Boeing Starliner malfunctions were worse than reported
What's the story
NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore have revealed that the malfunctions on Boeing's Starliner were much worse than reported.
The duo returned to Earth recently after spending 286 days in space—an unbelievable 278 days longer than anticipated.
Their mission, originally scheduled as an eight-day test flight aboard Boeing's new spacecraft last June, was prolonged due to mechanical issues that stranded them in space for over nine months.
Control loss
Wilmore recalls the moment they lost control of Starliner
Wilmore gave a near minute-by-minute account of the moment when four thrusters on the spacecraft failed as they were approaching docking at the International Space Station (ISS).
The near-catastrophic event made them lose full control of Starliner, leaving them adrift in space until NASA's mission control intervened.
"I don't know that we can come back to Earth at that point," Wilmore recalled in an interview with Ars Technica., emphasizing the gravity of their situation.
Regulations waived
Flight regulations were waived by NASA
Wilmore explained that flight regulations usually require malfunctioning spacecraft to abort docking, even when they're close to the ISS, and return to Earth. But in their case, NASA decided to waive the requirement.
"Panic eventually began to set in as the pair attempted to direct the defective ship toward the ISS," Wilmore said.
He shared concerns about Starliner's thrusters with Boeing months before takeoff after an uncrewed test flight faced similar issues.
Intervention
NASA intervened to restore control
Eventually, NASA instructed Wilmore to relinquish all remaining control of the capsule for a remote reset of the thrusters.
This intervention restored two of the failed thrusters, providing enough control for a safe docking at ISS.
Williams expressed her joy at this moment, saying, "I did this little happy dance... just really happy that Starliner docked to the space station."
Future plans
Both astronauts would fly on Starliner again
Despite the malfunctions, both astronauts were willing to fly on Starliner again.
During a press conference on Monday, Wilmore said, "Yes, because we're going to rectify all the issues that we encountered. We're going to fix it; we're going to make it work."
Williams echoed similar sentiments about Starliner's capabilities and said she was honored to be part of such a program.
The duo plans to continue their involvement with the Starliner program now that they're back on Earth.