Sunita Williams' Extended Stay on ISS

Current Situation and Updates

Sunita Williams, along with astronaut Barry Wilmore, are indeed on an extended stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

Here's a breakdown and summary of the situation:

• What Happened: They traveled to the ISS on a mission with Boeing's Starliner capsule in June 2024. This was the capsule's first crewed mission.

• Issues and Delays: The mission encountered technical problems, including helium leaks and thruster outages. Due to this, their originally planned short stay and return were delayed.

• Current Status: As of today, June 30, 2024, Williams and Wilmore are safe onboard the ISS. NASA emphasizes they are not stranded. The focus currently seems to be on testing the Starliner's thruster technology back on Earth before prioritizing their return.

• A defunct Russian satellite has broken up into more than 100 pieces of debris in orbit, forcing astronauts on the International Space Station to take shelter for about an hour. U.S. Space Command, tracking the debris swarm, said there was no immediate threat to other satellites.

Boeing Starliner Calypso launches on the Crew Flight Test atop an Atlas V rocket. Credits: NASA

More details

Boeing Crew Flight Test (Boe-CFT) is the first crewed mission of the Boeing Starliner capsule. Launched on 5 June 2024, the mission flew a crew of two NASA astronauts, Barry E. Wilmore and Sunita Williams, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to the International Space Station. The return trip was scheduled for June 14.

Issues right from launch

The flight was scheduled for 7 May 2024 but was scrubbed about two hours before liftoff due to an oxygen valve problem on the United Launch Alliance's (ULA) Atlas V. After the initial scrub, the launch was repeatedly delayed due to a leak of helium, which is used to pressurize the reaction control system thrusters in the Starliner service module. The second launch attempt was on 1 June, but was scrubbed 3 minutes, 50 seconds before liftoff when the ground launch sequencer computer registered a loss of redundancy due to a faulty power supply. The third launch attempt, on 5 June at 14:52 UTC, was successful.

During the flight, additional helium leaks were discovered, and as the Starliner approached the ISS, five of the 28 thrusters failed. Resetting and firing the thrusters eventually made four out of five work again, and the Starliner safely docked with the ISS after a delay.

The thruster malfunction looks identical to unresolved problems encountered during OFT 2 and will likely have to be fixed before the Starliner is certified by NASA.

Starliner approaching the ISS during the Crew Flight Test (CFT). Credits: NASA

What’s next?

On 28 June, NASA announced that while the Starliner is capable of returning the astronauts to Earth in the event of an emergency on the ISS, the capsule is not approved to fly until its thruster issues are solved or at least better understood. The agency also announced that it was delaying the return of the capsule by at least "a couple weeks" as a joint NASA-Boeing team conducts ground tests on a Starliner capsule located at the White Sands Missile Range, firing the same thrusters experiencing issues in space.

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore's space program was supposed to be of few days. However, their return flight from Boeing Starliner is likely to be delayed for months, reported ANI.

Starliner docked to the ISS as seen from the Crew-8 Dragon spacecraft. Credits: NASA

NASA's Commercial Crew Program manager, Steve Stich has said that the US space agency is considering extending the duration of Starliner's mission from 45 days to 90 days, reported ANI citing CNN.

Addressing a briefing on Friday, the NASA official said, "We're just looking at the timeline to execute (the test in New Mexico) and then review the data." He further said, “And that's what's really the long pole, I would say, determining a landing date." Stich added, “We're not in a rush to come home."

Russian satellite disintegrates

A space scare occurred when a defunct Russian satellite broke up into more than 100 pieces of debris within its orbit which led to the astronauts taking shelter on the International Space Station for about an hour, stated the US space agencies. The satellite broke at an altitude of nearly 355 km in low-Earth orbit, which is a popular region where thousands of satellites — ranging from small to large — operate. 

They added that the mass of space junk is already present in orbit. No information was provided on what led to the breaking of the Resurs-P1 Russian Earth observation satellite. This satellite was declared dead by Russia in 2022.

While tracking the swarming debris, US Space Command said that other satellites did not face any other immediate threat.

---

We will keep an eye on the situation and share updates on our Instagram channel. With a big team of engineers and scientists involved and clear priorities, we can be optimistic about both the astronauts returning home safely.