Astronaut Sunita Williams Near Safe Return to Earth In August

Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Willmore, who have been stuck in space due to a malfunctioning spacecraft, are now nearing their return to Earth and their return is expected in August 2024.

Astronauts Stuck And Return:

Sunita Williams, an Indian-originated American was along with Butch Willmore stuck in space. They’re the astronauts who launched into space aboard the Boeing Starliner capsule on June 5, initially set for a week-long mission on the International Space Station. 

Their prolonged stay is due to a series of technical issues, including a malfunctioning Reaction Control System (RCS) and helium leaks in the spacecraft. As of today, they've been orbiting the Earth for 52 days. And they are finally expecting a return from space in August 2024.

The Hot Fire Test:

This development follows a successful critical docked hot fire test of the Starliner's Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters, which are essential for undocking from the International Space Station (ISS).

The test also evaluated the spacecraft's helium system, which caused previous malfunctions where five RCS thrusters failed during docking and helium leaks were detected in space. After almost two months since launch, NASA and Boeing teams report that the leaks have stabilized.

The Starliner team has now completed the spacecraft's test for the second time, collecting additional data for the Crew Flight Test’s return to Earth.

Starliner flight director:

Chloe Moehring, the Starliner flight director, said "The integrated teams between Starliner and ISS worked extremely well together this week to finalize and safely execute the docked hotfire sequence.” Moehring will oversee the Starliner flight control team during the upcoming undocking from the ISS.