Los Angeles, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The return of Boeing's interstellar spacecraft to Earth has been postponed once again. NASA announced on the 18th that the spacecraft will depart from the International Space Station no earlier than June 25th Eastern Time.
The Boeing interstellar airliner, which made its first manned test flight, took off with two American astronauts on the 5th of this month and arrived at the International Space Station on the 6th. It was originally scheduled to depart from the International Space Station and return to Earth on the 14th, but the return time has been repeatedly delayed.
According to a report on the US space website on the 18th, ruling out a thruster malfunction is one of the reasons for the delayed return. NASA and Boeing are evaluating the thruster issues that occurred during the first attempt of the interstellar aircraft to dock with the International Space Station, when some of the thrusters malfunctioned.
The interstellar aircraft also experienced multiple helium leaks during manned flight tests. The US space website said that the two astronauts who took off on the interstellar plane have been testing various systems of the spacecraft in orbit, and the ground team is also continuing to analyze data to better deal with thruster failures and helium leaks.
According to the website, the spacewalk arrangement of the International Space Station is also one of the reasons for the delayed return of the interstellar aircraft. The spacewalk scheduled for the 13th by two American astronauts stationed on the International Space Station was halted due to one astronaut reporting discomfort in their spacesuit. The spacewalk mission has been postponed to the 24th.
The manned test flight of the interstellar aircraft was originally scheduled for May 6th, but it has been postponed multiple times due to technical reasons. After the completion of this mission, NASA will provide final certification for the regular commercial manned space missions and regular transportation of astronauts to and from the International Space Station for the interstellar aircraft.