NASA has indefinitely postponed the return of the first crewed Starliner spacecraft. The US Space Agency wants to conduct more research into the causes of the technical problems that occurred during the launch.

NASA says It needs more time to investigate the problems that occurred during the launch of the Boeing Starliner. For example, five small helium leaks were found in the propulsion system. Five out of 28 thrusters also failed during docking with the International Space Station. Four of them are now working again.

Writes Ars Technica Based on our own sources, this decision comes after two days of consultations, during which senior executives from NASA and Boeing examined whether the Starliner vehicle was ready for launch. The site expects that executives are not yet confident that the return trip will go smoothly.

NASA did not mention a new launch date. However, a return flight is no longer possible this month, due to two planned spacewalks on the International Space Station. The space organization previously announced that the Starliner could remain docked with the ISS for 45 days if necessary. This means that the spaceship must depart by the end of July at the latest. According to NASA, the Starliner is still ready to depart if there is an emergency that requires the crew to leave the space station immediately.

The first manned CST-100 Starliner was launched on June 5 after several delays. The crew, consisting of NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams, will initially remain on the space station for only eight days. However, the departure date was postponed several times later. The last specific date announced was Wednesday, June 26, but that plan has now also been cancelled.