Starliner was launched on June 5 and carried Wilmore and Williams to the ISS. Their stay was expected to last a week, but during the flight the propulsion system developed four small helium leaks in addition to the one detected before launch. When the Starliner first approached and began docking with the ISS on June 6, five of its 28 engines failed. Boeing was able to restore the operation of four of them.
It was also revealed a few days after the docking that crews were investigating an issue with a “not properly closed” valve in the service module.
The decision to postpone the return to a later date (June 26) was taken to ensure that the Starliner propulsion would be thoroughly checked again and to avoid problems during the spacewalks to be held on June 24 and July 2.
Despite the setbacks, NASA assured that Starliner was operating efficiently.
Source: Ferra
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