The maiden crew test flight of Boeing Starliner spacecraft, which was scheduled to last for just days, now stands at a position where its estimated time of return is unknown.
However, officials have consistently repeated that the Starliner -- which was faced with helium leaks, thruster issues while en route to the International Space Station early this month -- will safely bring its astronauts Indian-origin Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore home.
NASA's Commercial Crew Program manager, Steve Stich, on Friday said that the space agency is considering extending Starliner mission's duration from 45 days to 90 days, adding that there is no specific date of their return on the horizon, CNN reported.
Addressing a briefing, Stich said, "We're just looking at the timeline to execute (the test in New Mexico) and then review the data," adding that "and that's what really the long pole, I would say, determining a landing date".
"We are not in a rush to come home," he added.
Engineers are yet to ascertain the root cause behind the problems in the Starliner spacecraft, said Stich and Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager of the Commercial Crew Program for Boeing.
Nappi said that the goal behind carrying out ground tests is that possible reasons behind the thrusters' malfunction can be determined while the vehicle is still in space.
“So if (the test in New Mexico) comes back and gives us all the answers, then we can just undock and come home,” Nappi was quoted as saying.
He said that if the test comes back with 80 per cent of the answers and after that if one more "docket hot fire" test is run on the Starliner orbit, then 100 per cent of the answers can be achieved, "then we want (Starliner) to be there so that we can get that information".
It was noted that Williams and Wilmore have been carrying out routine tasks with the rest of the crew at the ISS.
It is worth mentioning that unexpected extension of stay for astronauts aboard the space station is not unusual. For example, NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, supposed to stay at ISS for six months, ended up logging 371 days in space after the discovery of a coolant leak from his actual ride -- Russian Soyuz capsule -- while being docked at the orbiting outpost.
Reportedly, several helium leaks were identified in the Boeing Starliner while it was en route to the ISS, along with the thruster problems.
It was said that by design, the service module of the spacecraft will not survive the journey back to Earth, which is why NASA and Boeing have decided to leave the it docked with the space station till a solution is found.
Stich, meanwhile, said that the extension of the mission length will be confirmed once the Starliner's battery life for the same is cleared by officials.
CNN cited Stich to be saying that the batteries are being recharged at the ISS, adding that they should operate the same after 90 days.
RUSSIAN SATELLITE BREAKS UP NEAR ISS, POSES TROUBLE
The breaking up of a defunct Russian satellite into more than 100 pieces of debris in the output, posed a major issue for the astronauts aboard the International Space Station, prompting them to take shelter for about an hour.
However, there was no immediate information on what was the reason behind the breakup of the RESURS-P1 Russian Earth observation satellite, which was declared dead by Russia in 2022.
US Space Command said that it was tracking the debris swarm, adding that there was no immediate threat to other satellites.
"Due to the low orbit of this debris cloud, we estimate it’ll be weeks to months before the hazard has passed," LeoLabs was quoted as saying by Reuters.
