There are worse places to suffer a travel delay than on the International Space Station. 

At least astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams get to gaze at the planet rotating beneath them as they wait for engineers to work out what’s gone wrong with their spacecraft’s thrusters so they can fly home.

In a news conference from the ISS, they certainly seemed to be having a good time, helping out with science experiments and maintenance – and taking photos of tropical storms.

But for Boeing the technical glitches with the Starliner, on its first crewed test flight, are yet another embarrassment.

The company is already under close scrutiny after an aircraft door blew out mid-flight, two crashes and delays in delivering new Air Force One planes for the US president.

It could do without problems in orbit too.

But Starliner’s development has been bumpy, to say the least.

An early, uncrewed mission ran out of fuel, while another had thruster issues as it approached the space station.

Then the first test flight with astronauts on board, initially scheduled last year, was delayed because flammable tape was found to be wrapped around wiring and a serious problem was identified with the parachute used to return safely to Earth.

Read more:
Probe launched after plane drops ‘within 400ft’ of ocean
Increase in 737 MAX production blocked
Employees ‘falsely claim tests had been completed’

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

Mr Wilmore defended Boeing during the news conference, saying all spacecraft have problems while they are being developed.

But SpaceX was commissioned to develop a spacecraft in 2014 at the same time as Boeing. It got its safety certificate four years ago and has flown eight crews so far.

Boeing bristles at any suggestion that the astronauts are stranded in space.

They could be brought home now if necessary, it says.

But it’s trying to understand the problem with the thrusters before they get burned up in the atmosphere on re-entry.

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

As for the astronauts, they seem really impressed with the Starliner’s performance, apart from the thruster issue.

And they have full confidence that the spacecraft will get them home.

Related posts:

WhatsApp launches second attempt at persuading users to accept privacy update Sharks use Earth’s magnetic field as a GPS, study suggests Cryptocurrency group asks hackers to return stolen $600m SpaceX gets nod to launch world’s first ever all-civilian mission to orbit this week ‘Potential for damage incalculable’: Experts sound alarm over cyber vulnerability in widely used software Apple and Google ‘duopoly’ criticised for ‘vice-like grip’ over mobile devices NASA calls off launch of Artemis moon rocket for second time after leak App that detects COVID in your voice ‘more accurate than lateral flow tests’ Google job fears in UK and Ireland as parent firm slashes 12,000 staff globally Blood test to detect 50 types of cancer could be given to ‘one million people next summer’ World ‘is nowhere close’ to existential threat from AI Baldur’s Gate wins big on gaming’s Oscars night – but show criticised over speeches and lay-offs