Russia’s assistance with the American spacecraft Starliner will not be needed, even though options for the crew’s descent were discussed. This was stated by Sergei Krikalev, special representative of the President of the Russian Federation for cooperation in space.
The rocket with the manned spacecraft CST-100 Starliner launched on 5 June, a little more than a day later the ship was successfully docked to the International Space Station (ISS). The Starliner test mission was scheduled to last about a week, but undocking was delayed several times due to malfunctions.
At the moment, the date of return of NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams to Earth has not been determined.
Krikalev stressed that technical problems with Starliner need to be eliminated to ensure the safety of the crew, and the issue of Russia’s assistance in its descent has been discussed. However, according to Krikalev, Russian help will not be required in this case.
“In the extreme conditions of space flight, we understand that we must rely on each other, provide each other with a shoulder and help,” he said.
