--- title: "Boeing’s Starliner Has Trouble Docking With Space Station" description: "Boeing had to call off its first Starliner docking attempt with the International Space Station due to thrusters malfunctioning." date: "2024-06-06" modified: "2024-06-06" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/boeing-starliner-trouble-docking-iss" categories: - "Boeing" - "Space" tags: - "boeing" - "international space station" - "starliner" - "the digest" --- # Boeing’s Starliner Has Trouble Docking With Space Station ![Boeing had to call off its first Starliner docking attempt with the International Space Station due to thrusters malfunctioning.]() *\Image: NASA\* ## Space Schlamassel Boeing is having trouble docking its much-maligned Starliner spacecraft with the International Space Station. Earlier this week, Boeing [finally launched]() its shuttle into space with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams into orbit after [many years of delays](), technical issues, an [unsuccessful test flight]() and more. Now, aside from [discovering several helium leaks]() on the way to the ISS, Boeing had to call off its first docking attempt with the orbital outpost due to reaction-control thrusters malfunctioning — adding to a growing pile of misfortunes for the embattled company. The cursed spacecraft [had to hold its position]() around 850 feet from the space station to conduct a series of hot fire tests. "We lost the first docking window," NASA communicator Neal Nagato told the patiently waiting Starliner crew, as [quoted by *Space.com*](). "We're still analyzing all the data in getting a path to approach for the next docking window." ## What a Mess NASA [later announced]() that it was ready to allow the capsule to enter the "keep out sphere" of the space station, suggesting a second attempt will happen soon. The docking window opens up again at 1:33 pm Eastern time. It's unclear if the reaction-control thruster malfunction is related to the helium leaks Boeing encountered after launch. Earlier today, Boeing clarified that "helium is used in spacecraft thruster systems to allow the thrusters to fire and is not combustible or toxic," and that the leak doesn't pose a "safety issue for the crew, the vehicle or the mission." Update: after this story was published, the troubled spacecraft [finally managed to dock with the ISS](). **More on the launch:** *[Boeing Spacecraft Springs More Leaks as It Sputters to the Space Station]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()