Boeing has canceled the first-ever manned launch of the Starliner astronaut capsule for NASA, possibly indefinitely, after safety issues with the spacecraft’s parachute and wiring were discovered last week.
The Starliner astronaut launch, already years behind schedule, was most recently targeted to launch two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station on July 21. But it won’t launch this summer, and it may not be in orbit this year. .
“It’s possible, but we don’t want to commit to any date or timeframe,” Boeing Starliner program manager and vice president Mark Nappi told reporters at a press conference on Thursday, June 1. . “We need to spend the next few days understanding what we need to do to fix these issues.”
Nappi said the delay was caused by two major safety issues, both discovered last week during the Starliner’s scrutiny to certify crewed flights.
First, Boeing engineers discovered that the breaking load limits of the “soft links” used in the Starliner’s three main parachute suspension lines were actually lower than previously thought. These links, which secure the parachute lines with anchor tethers on the capsule, were found to be unable to withstand the Starliner load if one chute failed. Nappi said a safe landing on two of the three chutes is a NASA safety requirement.
The second safety issue discovered by Boeing involves the protective tape that covers the wiring harnesses throughout the Starliner capsule. Nappi said the tape was flammable and there were “hundreds of feet” of tape left inside the Starliner.
“It’s very unlikely that we’ll go in and cut this tape,” Nappi said, adding that if they did, they would likely cause more potential damage. “So we are looking at a solution that essentially covers the existing tape in the most vulnerable areas with another type to reduce the risk of fire.”
Boeing’s latest Starliner delay comes after a series of spacecraft failures. In December 2019, Boeing’s first Starliner unmanned test flight failed to reach a proper orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station as planned. In the end, we had to land earlier than planned.
A NASA follow-up investigation ultimately ordered Boeing to take 80 different corrective actions to address safety and other issues with the Starliner spacecraft. The company also had to repeat its unmanned test flight, and after a series of delays due to valve problems, it successfully arrived at the space station in May 2022. NASA officials said the flight had both flammable tape issues and parachute softlink issues, but the mission was a success.
Meanwhile, two NASA astronauts, Sunita Williams and Butch Willmore, continue training for the Starliner’s first manned flight, called the Crew Flight Test. Earlier this year, that test flight was scheduled for February, but has since been delayed as the months went by. In 2021, two other NASA astronauts, Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, who were originally scheduled to fly Starliner, were reassigned to fly SpaceX’s Dragon so they could complete their missions. Both have since.
Space News reports that at a recent meeting of NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Board, experts questioned Starliner’s readiness, particularly because the systems it flew in unmanned test flights were not certified for manned flight. He expressed concern about parachute certification.
NASA Commercial Crew Program Manager Steve Stitch said the entire team was hurt by the further delays.
“I would say everyone is a little disappointed,” Stitch told reporters Thursday, adding that engineers from Boeing and NASA discussed the delay at a meeting this week. “But I could see people ready to roll up their sleeves and go see what the next step was.”
Boeing is one of two private companies selected to fly astronauts to and from the International Space Station through a multibillion-dollar fixed-cost contract with NASA’s Civilian Crew Program. With these fixed-cost contracts, Boeing is likely to bear additional costs for delays.
NASA’s second choice for private crewed flights is Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which has been launching astronauts to the station since 2020 on Falcon 9 rockets and Dragon capsules. To date, SpaceX has launched seven manned flights for NASA and three civilian flights for NASA. Most recently, his Ax-2 commercial flight to his space station Axiom landed on Earth on Tuesday (May 30).
Stich said traffic to and from the International Space Station will be very busy in the coming months due to crew arrivals, departures and cargo to orbital laboratories. He added that if Boeing can fix the parachute and wiring issues in the next few months, the next time Starliner crews will be operational will be in the fall.
Boeing plans at least seven crewed flights with NASA, including crewed flight tests and six astronaut missions, as part of its contract with NASA. Nappi said Boeing is still working on the Starliner spacecraft and fulfilling its NASA obligations, despite repeated delays.
“We’ve been talking about Starliner’s future and how to move forward,” Nappi said. “We know there is pain in developing vehicles and flying vehicles… Having these kinds of problems is just part of the business.”
NASA wants to have two different spacecraft available for astronaut flights so that it doesn’t rely on a single company to fly astronauts, Stich added.
“NASA desperately needs a second provider for transportation,” he says. “Our ultimate goal is to rotate SpaceX and Boeing flights to the station once a year.”
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