![NASA insists Boeing Starliner crew 'not stranded' on ISS](https://www.portugalcolonial.pt/media/shared/articles/78/23/eb/NASA-insists-Boeing-Starliner-crew--116790.jpg)
-
Wilson, at 16, becomes youngest male USA track Olympian
-
France detains two filmmakers over sex abuse claims
-
Sinner comes through Wimbledon test to set up Berrettini clash
-
George joining 76ers, Thompson heading to Mavs in NBA free agency
-
France coach Deschamps savours reaching Euro 2024 quarter-finals
-
Coach Tedesco curses Belgium's luck after Euros exit to France
-
France star Kounde calls on voters to block far right in elections
-
Taliban told to 'include women' in public life at UN talks
-
NBA Celtics put up for sale two weeks after winning title
-
Gauff breezes into Wimbledon second round as rivals fall
-
NHL Predators land free agents Stamkos, Marchessault, Skjei
-
Games organisers will hope for peaceful reaction to French election: ex-IOC executive
-
Girmay gatecrashes 'father' Cavendish tilt at Tour history
-
France edge tense clash with Belgium to reach Euro 2024 quarter-finals
-
Nigeria weekend suicide bomb attack toll climbs to 32
-
England's Bland beats Japan's Fujita in playoff to win US Senior Open
-
Dan Ashworth joins Man Utd as sporting director
-
Girmay dedicates Tour de France stage win to Africa
-
George joins Embiid with 76ers as NBA free agency heats up: reports
-
Trump advisor Bannon reports to jail to serve sentence
-
Austria glory at Euro 2024 'not impossible', says Rangnick
-
Aboriginal ritual passed down over 12,000 years, cave find shows
-
England midfielder Barkley returns to Aston Villa
-
Osaka wins first match at Wimbledon since 2018
-
MLS St. Louis City dumps South Africa's Carnell as coach
-
Coe makes pre-Olympics visit to Ukraine to give athletes support
-
Powerful Hurricane Beryl slams into Caribbean island of Carriacou
-
Wawrinka, 39, makes flying start at Wimbledon
-
Eritrean Girmay wins Tour de France stage as Carapaz takes race lead
-
Alcaraz wins Wimbledon opener as Murray wants 'closure'
-
Nepal jails 'Buddha boy' for 10 years over child sex abuse
-
Moscow takes two more east Ukrainian villages
-
Supreme Court rules on Trump immunity, delaying trial
-
Rusty Alcaraz sees off qualifier in Wimbledon opener
-
Paqueta 'suffering' over betting allegations says new Hammers boss Lopetegui
-
Under-fire Dutch not hitting panic button, says Koeman
-
Bellingham's celebration gesture to be investigated by UEFA
-
No 'cold sweats' before Spain Euros showdown, says Germany's Raum
-
'Heartbroken' Sabalenka withdraws from Wimbledon
-
Pickford grateful to 'golden boy' Bellingham for sparing England's Euros blushes
-
Austrian Grand Prix - three things we learned
-
Alcaraz starts Wimbledon title defence as Murray wants 'closure'
-
European sprint champion Asher-Smith 'so happy' as she bids for Olympic gold
-
Anderson set to mentor England's quicks after Test exit
-
Hope for Mekong dolphins as Cambodia numbers increase: minister
-
France's far-right vote in figures
-
France detains two filmmakers over sexual abuse allegations
-
Israel strikes Gaza as militants claim rocket barrage
-
Meta risks fines over 'pay for privacy' model breaking EU rules
-
Williams takes spotlight as Spain power through to Euros quarters
![NASA insists Boeing Starliner crew 'not stranded' on ISS](https://www.portugalcolonial.pt/media/shared/articles/78/23/eb/NASA-insists-Boeing-Starliner-crew--116790.jpg)
NASA insists Boeing Starliner crew 'not stranded' on ISS
The first astronauts to fly Boeing's troubled Starliner are definitely not "stranded" at the International Space Station, NASA insisted Friday despite having no clear timeframe for bringing them home.
In an unusually defensive press call, officials attempted to put a positive spin on where things currently stood after weeks of negative headlines due to the spaceship's delayed return.
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams blasted off on June 5 following years of delays and safety scares affecting Starliner, as well as two aborted launch attempts that came as astronauts were strapped in and ready to go.
They docked the following day for what was meant to be roughly a week-long stay, but their return has been pushed back multiple times because of thruster malfunctions and helium leaks that came to light during the journey.
"Butch and Suni are not stranded in space," declared Steve Stich, NASA's commercial crew program manager.
He added the pair were "enjoying their time on the space station" and "our plan is to continue to return them on Starliner and return them home at the right time."
Before that can happen, however, ground teams need to run more testing to better understand the root causes.
It was known there was one helium leak affecting Starliner before the launch, but more leaks emerged during the flight. While non-combustible, helium provides pressure to the propulsion system.
Separately, some of Starliner's thrusters that provide fine maneuvering initially failed to kick in, delaying docking. Engineers are not sure why Starliner's computer "deselected" these thrusters, though they were able to restart all but one of them.
The thruster testing could begin July 2 and would last at least two weeks, said Stich.
"It is pretty painful to read the things that are out there," added Mark Nappi, Boeing's vice president and program manager of its Commercial Crew Program.
"We've gotten a really good test flight that's been accomplished so far, and it's being viewed rather negatively."
Teething issues with new spaceships aren't uncommon, with the Space Shuttle program facing its share of problems in its early days.
But the Starliner program has suffered from comparisons to SpaceX's Crew Dragon. Both companies were awarded multibillion dollar contracts in 2014 to provide the US space agency with rides to the ISS, with SpaceX succeeding in 2020 and carrying dozens of people since.
Aerospace giant Boeing's reputation has also nosedived in the wake of the safety scandal surrounding its 737 Max passenger jets.
A.S.Diogo--PC