NASA breaks silence on ‘strange noise’ coming from faulty Boeing Starliner

September 2, 2024

Sep 02, 2024 11:34 PM IST

NASA addressed the mysterious sound emanating from Boeing Starliner’s speaker in a statement released Monday

NASA has responded to the “strange noise” coming from the faulty Boeing Starliner. Butch Wilmore, who has been stuck in space alongside Sunita Williams, noticed a mysterious sound coming from a speaker inside the spacecraft. On Saturday, Wilmore radioed the Mission Control at Johnson Space Center in Houston to report the issue. The now-viral audio clip of the exchange was first recorded and shared by meteorologist Rob Dale.

FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams pose ahead of the launch of Boeing's Starliner-1 Crew Flight Test (CFT), in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., April 25, 2024. REUTERS/Joe Skipper/File Photo/File Photo(REUTERS) — FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams pose ahead of the launch of Boeing’s Starliner-1 Crew Flight Test (CFT), in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., April 25, 2024. REUTERS/Joe Skipper/File Photo/File Photo(REUTERS)

NASA breaks silence on mysterious sound coming from Starliner

Amid the growing concerns about the strange noise emanating from the capsule, the space agency assured that the feedback is a “common” occurrence which poses no threat to the crew or the Starliner itself.

“A pulsing sound from a speaker in Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft heard by NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore aboard the International Space Station has stopped,” NASA said in a statement released Monday, according to USA Today. The space agency went on to explain that the capsule is still on schedule to return to Earth unmanned.

ALSO READ: NASA’s Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore report hearing ‘strange noises’ coming from faulty Starliner

“The feedback from the speaker was the result of an audio configuration between the space station and Starliner. The space station audio system is complex, allowing multiple spacecraft and modules to be interconnected, and it is common to experience noise and feedback,” the statement continued.

“The crew is asked to contact mission control when they hear sounds originating in the comm system. 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,” it added.

While the Boeing Starliner is set to return to Earth this week, the two veteran astronauts have to wait for their turn for a long time. Due to the risks associated with the faulty capsule, NASA recently confirmed that Wilmore and Williams are expected to return via SpaceX’s Crew-9 in February 2025.