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In space, no one can hear Starliner pulse anymore. The cause of the strange pulsing noise in one of the speakers on the Boeing crew capsule, reported by astronaut Butch Wilmore on Saturday, has been identified and resolved. "The feedback from the speaker was the result of an audio configuration between the space station and Starliner," NASA stated in a post on X. "The speaker feedback Wilmore reported has no technical impact to the crew, Starliner, or station operations, including Starliner’s uncrewed undocking from the station no earlier than Friday, Sept. 6."
The exchange between Wilmore and Mission Control about the sound was recorded and posted on a space forum, attracting significant attention online. However, NASA emphasized in a Monday statement that its discovery and resolution were routine. "The space station audio system is complex, allowing multiple spacecraft and modules to be interconnected, and it is common to experience noise and feedback," NASA said. "The crew is asked to contact mission control when they hear sounds originating in the comm system."
NASA and Boeing plan to send the capsule back to Earth autonomously as early as Friday after it was deemed too risky to put Wilmore and crewmate Suni Williams aboard. Starliner must leave the ISS to make room for a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule that will eventually take them home.
