A strange sound detected from the Boeing Starliner spacecraft has been confirmed as feedback from a speaker, NASA stated on Monday, reassuring that the capsule will still make its autonomous flight back to Earth as early as Friday.

“This sound was feedback stemming from an audio setup between the space station and Starliner,” NASA explained, noting that such noises can occur regularly. They added that the “pulsing sound” has now ceased.

“The crew will communicate with mission control when they detect any sounds from the communication system,” NASA mentioned. They clarified that the speaker feedback reported by Wilmore does not affect the crew, the Starliner, or operations related to the station, including the Starliner’s planned uncrewed detachment from the station no sooner than Friday, September 6.”

The news about this sound gained attention after audio was shared of a conversation between Mission Control at Johnson Space Center in Houston and Barry “Butch” Wilmore, one of the two astronauts currently stationed on the International Space Station following issues with the Starliner flight that docked in early June.

“There’s an odd noise coming through the speaker. I can’t tell what it is,” Wilmore remarked, as reported by Ars Technica, the first outlet to cover the exchange, based on an audio clip shared by meteorologist Rob Dale from Michigan.

In the clip, Mission Control confirmed they were connected and could hear audio from inside the spacecraft. Wilmore, who was on board the Starliner, caught the sound with his microphone. “Alright Butch, we heard that one,” Mission Control remarked. “It sounded somewhat like a pulsing noise, almost akin to a sonar ping.”

“I’ll do it one more time, and I’ll let you all guess what might be happening,” Wilmore replied. “Alright, over to you. Let us know if you have any insights.”

Initially launched on June 5, the Starliner was only scheduled for a week at the space station. However, upon arrival, NASA announced the discovery of helium leaks and issues with the control thrusters, requiring the crew to remain on the station for several months.

The unusual sound began about a week prior to the planned autonomous undocking of the Starliner from the space station ahead of its return to Earth.

NASA indicated on Thursday that, depending on weather and operational conditions, the Starliner will initiate its flight on Friday, and is expected to land shortly after midnight on Saturday at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.

The two astronauts, including Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams, will remain at the space station for an additional six months before returning in February via the SpaceX Dragon capsule.

Recently, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets were temporarily grounded due to a landing mishap under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), raising concerns about the impact on the Starliner mission. However, the grounding was brief, as the FAA announced on Wednesday that the Falcon 9 could resume operations while the investigation is ongoing.

Contributing: Max Hauptman, YSL News