Astronauts Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore and Sunita ‘Suni’ Williams, crew members of Boeing’s first mission to the International Space Station (IS), said on Wednesday in a teleconference that they fully trust that they will be able to return to Earth aboard the ship.
The return of both was scheduled for mid-June, but it has been postponed – without a date for the moment – due to some technical problems in the Starliner, including five small helium leaks in the capsule service module.
“Right now, based on what we know, we are absolutely ready,” he defended from the orbital laboratory Wilmore, who pointed out that the performance of the ship during takeoff and the first 24 hours was “spectacular.”
Both NASA astronauts also expressed their confidence in the knowledge and experience of the team behind the mission.
“I have a good feeling in my heart that the ship will return us home,” said Williams, who said he had no reset about the capabilities of the capsule manufactured by Boeing.
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The manned test mission took off on June 5 from a platform of the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, in Florida (USA), and the next day was coupled to the Harmony module of the ISS.
The return of the mission, which was scheduled to remain on the space station for about a week, has been postponed by the helium leaks discovered, as well as by technical problems in the ship’s propulsion system.
According to the US space agency, once all the tests and data analysis are completed, they will do a complete review together with Boeing managers before fixing the return to New Mexico from the orbital complex.
The success of the CFT (Crew Flight Test) mission will mean for NASA to have a second supplier, after SpaceX, for the transport of manned and cargo missions to the orbital laboratory, under contracts signed with both private firms in 2014.
Ombudsman confirms deaths of six minors in bombing targeting FARC dissidents
Colombia’s Ombudsman’s Office reported on Saturday the deaths of six minors who had been recruited by guerrilla groups, killed during the deadliest airstrike ordered by President Gustavo Petro in an Amazonian region in the south of the country.
Amid pre-election criticism and pressure from the United States demanding stronger action against drug trafficking, Petro has intensified military operations against armed groups. Over the past week, a series of bombings have left 28 people dead. The minors were killed in an airstrike announced on Tuesday against a camp belonging to dissident factions of the now-defunct FARC guerrilla in the department of Guaviare, resulting in 19 deaths—the largest operation of its kind under Petro’s administration.
“This is all deeply regrettable; it is war in its most painful and inhumane expression, harming the most vulnerable—minors recruited due to lack of protection and now turned into military targets,” said Ombudswoman Iris Marín in an audio message sent to the press, confirming the deaths of six minors without providing their ages.
Marín held the guerrilla group led by the country’s most-wanted man, alias Iván Mordisco, responsible for recruiting the children. However, she also stressed that “the military forces must take every feasible precaution to protect children,” in accordance with international principles that require “careful evaluation of the means and methods of warfare to avoid disproportionate or unnecessary harm.”
Colombia reaches $4.5 billion deal to acquire 17 Gripen Fighter Jets from Saab
The Colombian government has finalized a negotiation agreement with the Swedish company Saab for the purchase of 17 SAP-39 Gripen fighter jets, valued at more than $4.5 billion, according to local media reports.
Colombian outlets indicated that payments are scheduled to begin in 2026, starting with an initial installment of 100 billion Colombian pesos. However, the aircraft will be delivered between 2027 and 2032, when the final jet is expected to arrive in Colombia.
This new contract represents the second-largest public purchase made by Colombia so far this century, surpassed only by the investment in the Bogotá metro system, local media noted.
The agreement is expected to be officially signed during the ceremony commemorating the 216th anniversary of the Colombian Aerospace Force, to be held in Cali on November 14 of this year.
Venezuela accuses U.S. of using Naval Deployment to pressure Maduro government
The world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, joined the U.S. Navy’s anti-drug operation in Latin America on Tuesday—a deployment Venezuela has condemned as an attempt to pressure President Nicolás Maduro from power.
In a statement, the U.S. Southern Command confirmed that the carrier, ordered to deploy nearly three weeks ago, has entered its area of responsibility, which includes Latin America and the Caribbean.
“The world’s largest aircraft carrier will strengthen the United States’ ability to detect, monitor, and dismantle illicit actors and activities that threaten the security and prosperity of U.S. territory and our safety in the Western Hemisphere,” said Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell.
According to the White House, the U.S. government under Donald Trump has carried out about twenty operations in the Caribbean and the Pacific since early September, resulting in the deaths of 76 suspected drug traffickers.
However, U.S. authorities have not yet presented evidence that the targeted vessels were being used for drug trafficking or posed a direct threat to the country.
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The operations have raised concerns in Caracas, where the Maduro administration views the deployment as a strategic move aimed at provoking regime change in Venezuela.
