Officials have repeatedly hinted that the Starliner, which faced issues with helium leaks and thruster outages heading to the International Space Station in early June, will be safe to bring astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore home.
The two NASA astronauts were scheduled to return on June 14. However, the pair has no set date to return to Earth as their return has been delayed multiple times.
Videos posted on Kuaishou, a Chinese short-video platform, depicted a cylindrical piece of debris descending over a rural village, crashing near a hill with yellow smoke billowing from one end.
Marking a significant milestone in the India-US space partnership and space exploration, the two countries concluded the Strategic Framework for Human Spaceflight Cooperation to deepen interoperability in space and are working toward commencing advanced training for ISRO astronauts at the
The Starliner had docked with the ISS at 1:34 pm (EDT) after lifting off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Wednesday and the two NASA astronauts entered the International Space Station at 3:45 pm EDT on Thursday (which translates to IST on Friday morning).
Sunita Williams, 58, has scripted history by becoming the first female astronaut to fly on the first flight of a crewed spacecraft. The flight also marks Sunita's third foray into space.
Sunita is the first female astronaut to fly on the first flight of a crewed spacecraft. The launch that marks Sunita's third foray into space is the sixth inaugural journey of a crewed spacecraft in US history.
"NASA, Boeing, and ULA (United Launch Alliance) are forgoing a Crew Flight Test launch attempt on June 2, to give the team additional time to assess a ground support equipment issue," NASA said today.
NASA said that astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore exited their spacecraft and were transported back to their quarters at the Kennedy Space Centre's Neil A Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building, remaining in quarantine as they await Starliner's next launch attempt.