NASA solves 'strange noises' heard on Boeing Starliner: Here's what it was

The "strange noises" heard by NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore coming from Boeing's Starliner capsule over the weekend are apparently strange no more.

NASA said in a Monday morning post on X, formerly Twitter, that it has determined what the mystery sounds were: audio feedback.

"A pulsing sound from a speaker in Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft heard by NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore aboard the International Space Station has stopped. The feedback from the speaker was the result of an audio configuration between the space station and Starliner," NASA said via its @Commercial_Crew account.

"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 astronauts are often told to report sounds to mission control. The feedback that was heard "has no technical impact to the crew, Starliner, or station operations, including Starliner's uncrewed unlocking from the station," currently set for Friday, Sept. 6.

Astronaut Wilmore reported the noise to Mission Control in Houston, Texas, over the weekend.

According to a widely reported audio recording of the exchange, Wilmore held a phone to the speakers so Mission Control could also hear it.

"Butch, that one came through," Mission Control said after not hearing it the first time. "It was kind of like a pulsating noise, almost like a sonar ping." Mission Control said it would pass the sound on and investigate it.

Astronauts Wilmore and Suni Williams arrived at the International Space Station on June 6, 2024, as part of Starliner's long-delayed light test. However, on the way to the ISS, Boeing's Starliner experienced helium leaks and issues with some of its thrusters.

The astronauts were supposed to be aboard the ISS for eight days and then return to Earth. September 6 will mark three months that Wilmore and Williams have been aboard the ISS.

"For many of us, it was ‘Oh, here we go again. Another day, another Starliner event,’" said Zac Aubert, Founder of The Launch Pad. "I can only imagine what it was like being on the station working, and you just hear this sound coming from down the corridor in the station. It probably felt pretty weird, but I’m glad it ended up being just a program set up wrong."

Last week, NASA announced that Boeing's Starliner capsule would return to Earth, possibly as early as Sept. 6, 2024, unscrewed — meaning Wilmore and Williams will stay aboard the ISS. Instead, the two astronauts will return to Earth in February 2025 aboard Space's Dragon capsule with NASA's Crew 9.

"Spaceflight is risky, even at its safest and most routine. A test flight, by nature, is neither safe nor routine. The decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and bring Boeing’s Starliner home uncrewed is the result of our commitment to safety: our core value and our North Star," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. "I’m grateful to both the NASA and Boeing teams for all their incredible and detailed work."