US Indian Astronaut stranded in Space

A US Indian astronaut is one of two people currently stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) and NASA has delayed their return.

Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore and Sunita Williams were due to return to Earth on June 26 after faults with the Boeing spacecraft forced the astronauts to remain aboard the space station two weeks longer than planned.

On June 21, 2024, NASA said it was taking more time to review the thruster malfunctions and helium leaks that caused the first delay.

The ISS mission was Boeing’s first crewed space launch after over a decade of planning, during which two launches had to be aborted at short notice.

It was scheduled to last eight days, however, helium leaks and issues with the spacecraft’s thrusters delayed its return by two weeks.

In a blog post, NASA said: “NASA and Boeing’s leadership are adjusting the return to Earth of the Starliner Crew Flight Test spacecraft.

“The move off Wednesday, June 26, deconflicts Starliner’s undocking and landing from a series of planned International Space Station spacewalks while allowing mission teams time to review propulsion system data.”

Steve Stich, NASA’s Commercial Crew Programme manager, said:

“We are taking our time and following our standard mission management team process.

“We are letting the data drive our decision-making relative to managing the small helium system leaks and thruster performance we observed during rendezvous and docking.”

Five of the spacecraft’s thrusters were shut down by its computers as it neared the space station.

Four had to be switched back on while its propulsion system suffered several minor leaks.

Williams and Wilmore, both former US Navy test pilots, are believed to not be in a rush to leave the station because it is well stocked with supplies.

NASA added that the “station’s schedule is relatively open through mid-August”.

The faults are not critical and such issues often arise when testing aircraft.

Previously, Stich said NASA did not see “any scenario where Starliner is not going to be able to bring Butch and Suni home”.

Using parachutes, the spacecraft will land in New Mexico.

The Starliner was meant to compete against Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which has been ferrying astronauts to the ISS since 2020.

Boeing has lost more than £1.2 billion on the project to date. It is due to complete six NASA missions under a £3.9 billion contract awarded in 2014.

In 2024, the company faced mounting scrutiny from regulators over its 737 Max aeroplanes after a door blew off a flight over Oregon in January.