2023-08-07 20:32:58
Several problems slowed the development of the capsule. NASA still wants a second provider, in addition to SpaceX.
After encountering numerous issues, Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is expected to be ready in March 2024, the company said on Monday (August 7th). “That doesn’t mean we have a take-off date in early March”, however, specified Mark Nappi, program manager at Boeing, which aims for a first manned flight to the International Space Station. Everything will depend on the possibilities of ULA, the industrial group that provides the rocket responsible for launching the spacecraft, and places on board the International Space Station (ISS).
NASA astronauts have been transported to the ISS since 2020 thanks to SpaceX vessels, but the American space agency wants to have a second service provider. After a failed flight in 2019, the Boeing capsule managed to reach the ISS in May 2022, without a crew on board. It must now perform a final manned test to be certified, and begin its operational flights. Boeing had hoped to be able to carry out this first manned flight as early as 2022, but successive postponements have accumulated.
“A priority” for the ISS, according to NASA
The latest, announced in June, was related to two separate issues. The first concerned the parachutes used to brake the capsule during its return to Earth. Part of the link between the capsule and the parachute had proven to be more fragile than expected. The design has been modified, and a test will be conducted in November. Its success is imperative for the progress of the program.
The CST-100 Starliner spacecraft developed by Boeing Space. (BOEING SPACE)
The second problem concerned the adhesive tape used to wrap electrical cables inside the capsule. It was eventually determined that this could be flammable in this application, and therefore posed a risk. A large amount has since been removed, and continues to be removed. For some areas where removing it was too difficult, other techniques were used, such as adding a protective layer, detailed Mark Nappi.
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“The Starliner vehicle remains a high priority for the space station program”, said Joel Montalbano, head of this program at NASA. Starliner’s first manned flight is to take two NASA astronauts, Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams, to the ISS, where they will stay for about a week. The launch is to be from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
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