NASA has addressed the “strange noise” coming from the malfunctioning Boeing Starliner. Butch Wilmore, who, along with Sunita Williams, has been stranded in space, reported hearing a mysterious sound from a speaker inside the spacecraft. On Saturday, Wilmore contacted Mission Control at Johnson Space Center in Houston to report the issue. The audio of this exchange, which has since gone viral, was first recorded and shared by meteorologist Rob Dale.
NASA Speaks Out on Unexplained Noise from Starliner
As concerns grew over the noise coming from the capsule, NASA clarified that the feedback is a “common” occurrence that poses no risk 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 ceased,” NASA stated in a release on Monday, as reported by USA Today. The agency further explained that the capsule is still on track for an unmanned return to Earth.
“The feedback from the speaker was due to an audio configuration between the space station and Starliner. The space station’s audio system is complex, allowing multiple spacecraft and modules to connect, and it is not uncommon to experience noise and feedback,” the statement elaborated.
“The crew is instructed to inform mission control if they hear any sounds originating from the communication system. The speaker feedback reported by Wilmore has no technical impact on the crew, Starliner, or station operations, including Starliner’s uncrewed undocking from the station, which is scheduled no earlier than Friday, September 6,” the statement added.
While the Boeing Starliner is scheduled to return to Earth this week, the two veteran astronauts, Wilmore and Williams, will have to wait longer for their return. Due to the risks associated with the faulty capsule, NASA recently announced that both astronauts are expected to return via SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission in February 2025.
