This is great news for NASA, and especially for Boeing. After a successful launch and a six-day mission in space, the Starliner capsule landed safely on Wednesday, May 25, in the White Sands desert in New Mexico.
Two failures difficult to cash
However, Starliner comes a long way. In 2019, she indeed failed the same test as the one she just passed because at the time, a software error blocked her in the wrong orbit. A second test failed in August 2021; the company therefore spent approximately $600 million to overhaul the capsule’s software and thus resolve other problems related to the second test, including stuck propulsion valves.
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Boeing, which built the Starliner capsule, has partnered with NASA since 2014 on this program called Commercial Crew. SpaceX and its Crew Dragon capsule are also in the game. The objective: to allow the American space agency to have a means of transport made in the USA to transport its astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). Since the end of the space shuttle in 2011, the United States has indeed depended on Russia and its Soyuz to get to the station.
However, Boeing has been largely handicapped by its failed tests, while SpaceX has been transporting astronauts for two years now, and has already made five manned trips to the ISS.
See #Starliner undock from @Space_Station. pic.twitter.com/nYkQW9bqRk
—Boeing Space (@BoeingSpace) May 25, 2022
Some technical issues, but nothing serious according to Boeing
” The Starliner is an excellent vehicle for transporting crews said Steve Stich, head of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, at a press conference at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. If the mission was successful overall and the capsule docked with the ISS, it did however encounter some technical problems.
As reported Ars-Technica, two of the spacecraft’s 20 service module main thrusters, used for orbital maneuvering, failed shortly after the Starliner separated from its Atlas V rocket, while two small thrusters in the control system also failed. broken during the approach to the space station. Additionally, during the vehicle’s atmospheric re-entry, one of the capsule’s 12 engines appeared to shut down prematurely, and the navigation system’s communications with the GPS network briefly ceased.
Finally, shortly after landing, the recovery team detected hydrazine vapors, an oily liquid that was flammable and dangerous to inhale, around the spacecraft. This lingering chemical, which caused the recovery team to temporarily backtrack, could be due to the Starliner not burning all of its propellant.
Touch down, #Starliner! pic.twitter.com/5MJUoAYhqg
—Boeing Space (@BoeingSpace) May 25, 2022
A first manned Starliner mission soon?
Nevertheless, this test flight was precisely carried out to perfect Starliner; moreover, the Crew Dragon capsule also experienced problems during its unmanned flight, especially with its parachutes. From now on, the experts will carry out analyzes on the vehicle and improve everything that needs it.
Despite these inconveniences, the NASA and Boeing teams are therefore optimistic: “ That’s really what this commercial crew program is all about. I have goosebumps enthused Steve Stich. The space agency has finally achieved its goal and now has two transport vehicles for its astronauts.
The occupants of the first manned mission should be known this summer, with a flight scheduled for the end of the year or the first quarter of 2023.