Różne artykuły o CST-100 Starliner

[Orionid]

Starliner test flight faces months-long delay
by Jeff Foust — August 13, 2021 Updated 2:45 p.m. Eastern after media teleconference.


Technicians attempt to repair valves in the propulsion system on Boeing's CST-100 Starliner that have forced an extended delay in the launch of the spacecraft on an uncrewed test flight. Credit: Boeing

WASHINGTON — A test flight of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner commercial crew vehicle will be delayed for at least several months to fix a problem with valves on the spacecraft.

Source: https://spacenews.com/starliner-test-flight-faces-months-long-delay/

[Orionid]

Boeing opts to haul Starliner back to hangar, delays flight indefinitely
August 13, 2021 William Harwood [SFN] STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION


This infographic from Aerojet Rocketdyne, which supplies thrusters and valves for the Starliner spacecraft, shows the vehicle’s propulsion system. Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne

Around-the-clock work to fix valve problems that derailed an Aug. 3 attempt to launch Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule on an unpiloted test flight was called off Friday, delaying another try until after NASA launches a higher-priority asteroid probe in mid-October.

Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/08/13/boeing-opts-to-haul-starliner-back-to-hangar-delays-flight-indefinitely/

[Orionid]

Starliner test flight likely to slip to 2022
by Jeff Foust — September 22, 2021 [SN]


A second uncrewed test flight of Boeing's CST-100 Starliner, postponed in August because of valve problems, is unlikely to take place before 2022, a NASA official said Sept. 21. Credit: Boeing/John Grant

WASHINGTON — A test flight of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner commercial crew vehicle, delayed by a valve problem in August, is unlikely to take place before some time next year, NASA official said Sept. 21.

In a call with reporters about organizational changes at NASA, Kathy Lueders, associate administrator for the new Space Operations Mission Directorate, said engineers were still trying to determine why valves in the propulsion system of the Starliner spacecraft were stuck shut, postponing an uncrewed test flight that had been scheduled for early August.

Source: https://spacenews.com/starliner-test-flight-likely-to-slip-to-2022/

[Orionid]

NASA reshuffles commercial crew astronaut assignments because of Starliner delays
by Jeff Foust — October 7, 2021 [SN]


NASA reassigned two astronauts who were to fly on CST-100 Starliner commercial crew missions to a Crew Dragon mission called Crew-5 to give the rookie astronauts flight experience sooner rather than later. Credit: NASA

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — NASA has reassigned two astronauts from Boeing commercial crew missions to a SpaceX one as the agency addresses delays in the development of the CST-100 Starliner and works out a seat barter agreement with Russia.

Source: https://spacenews.com/nasa-reshuffles-commercial-crew-astronaut-assignments-because-of-starliner-delays/

[Orionid]

Boeing takes $185 million charge because of Starliner delays
by Jeff Foust — October 27, 2021 [SN]


Boeing took a $185 million charge to cover additional costs for the OFT-2 test flight after taking a $410 million charge in January 2020. Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

DUBAI, U.A.E. — Boeing announced Oct. 27 it is taking an additional $185 million charge against its earnings to cover the costs to get its CST-100 Starliner commercial crew vehicle flying again.

Source: https://spacenews.com/boeing-takes-185-million-charge-because-of-starliner-delays/

[Orionid]

Boeing reports $185 million charge to pay for Starliner delays
October 28, 2021 Stephen Clark [SFN]


Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft emerges from the Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing facility in July, during preparations before Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test-2 mission. Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now

Boeing said Wednesday it will take on a $185 million charge in its third quarter earnings to pay for the latest setback on the Starliner crew capsule, bringing the company’s out-of-pocket costs on the troubled program to $595 million since 2019.

Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/10/28/boeing-reports-185-million-charge-to-pay-for-starliner-delays/

[Orionid]

NASA safety panel recommends agency review how it manages human spaceflight programs
by Jeff Foust — January 18, 2022 [SN]


Among the issues raised in the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel report was a difference in opinion between NASA and Boeing on the risk posed vt stuck propulsion valves in the CST-100 Starliner that the panel said was evidence the two organizations "do not share a common understanding of how to assess and characterize risk." Credit: Boeing/John Grant

WASHINGTON — NASA’s safety advisers are calling on the agency to reexamine how it manages human spaceflight programs to reflect the changing relationship with industry and to better run its core exploration effort.
https://spacenews.com/nasa-safety-panel-recommends-agency-review-how-it-manages-human-spaceflight-programs/

Boeing Starliner test flight next on ULA’s launch schedule
March 11, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]


Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft inside the Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: Boeing

The U.S. Space Force has postponed a multi-spacecraft mission that was booked to fly on a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket in April, moving a redo of a test flight for Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule to the front of the line on ULA’s launch schedule.

ULA announced the delay in the Space Force’s USSF 12 mission in a brief statement shared on social media. The launch company, a 50-50 joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, said the delay was ordered at the request of the Space Force’s Space Systems Command.

Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/03/11/boeing-starliner-test-flight-next-on-ulas-launch-schedule/

ULA begins stacking Atlas 5 rocket for Boeing’s Starliner test flight
April 21, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]


An Atlas 5 first stage, with its Russian-made RD-180 engine, is prepared for stacking outside ULA’s Vertical Integration Facility on Wednesday morning. Credit: United Launch Alliance

Final assembly of a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket began Wednesday with the hoisting of a first stage booster onto a mobile launch platform at Cape Canaveral, kicking off a campaign to prepare for liftoff May 19 on a delayed unpiloted test flight of Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/04/21/ula-begins-stacking-atlas-5-rocket-for-boeings-starliner-test-flight/

Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule meets Atlas rocket for long-delayed test flight
May 4, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]



Ready for another try at launching on a test flight to the International Space Station, Boeing rolled a repaired Starliner crew capsule to United Launch Alliance’s seaside rocket hangar at Cape Canaveral Wednesday to prepare for a liftoff scheduled for May 19.

The test flight will not carry astronauts, but could set the stage for the first Starliner crew mission to the space station late this year or in early 2023, NASA and Boeing officials said in a press conference Tuesday.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/05/04/boeings-starliner-crew-capsule-meets-atlas-rocket-for-another-attempt-at-test-flight/

NASA, Boeing ready for second Starliner test flight
by Jeff Foust — May 5, 2022 [SN]


Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft rolls past the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center on its way to the launch pad to be installed on an Atlas 5 rocket ahead of its May 19 launch. Credit: NASA/Glenn Benson

WASHINGTON — NASA and Boeing say they’re confident they have resolved a valve issue that delayed a test flight of the company’s CST-100 Starliner commercial crew vehicle last year and are ready to try again later this month.
https://spacenews.com/nasa-boeing-ready-for-second-starliner-test-flight/

Boeing considering redesign of Starliner valves
by Jeff Foust — May 12, 2022 [SN]


Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft arrives at the launch pad for the OFT-2 mission. Boeing said at a May 11 briefing the company is considering a valve redesign as a long-term solution to a corrosion problem discovered last year. Credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

WASHINGTON — Boeing says it is considering redesigning the propellant valves on future CST-100 Starliner commercial crew spacecraft as a long-term solution to the corrosion problem those valves suffered last year.

At a May 11 briefing about the upcoming Orbital Flight Test (OFT) 2 mission, Boeing’s manager for the program said that while a solution to prevent corrosion of the valves is working for the upcoming mission, a valve redesign is “definitely on the table” as a long-term fix, something the company had not previously acknowledged.
https://spacenews.com/boeing-considering-redesign-of-starliner-valves/

NASA safety advisors voice concerns over Boeing’s Starliner, SpaceX’s Starship
May 13, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]


Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft descends under parachutes on Dec. 22, 2019, at the conclusion of the Orbital Flight Test-1 mission. Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

Members of NASA’s independent safety advisory panel on Thursday cautioned the space agency not to rush toward a crew test flight of Boeing’s troubled Starliner spacecraft, and voiced concerns about final certification of the capsule’s parachutes and Boeing staffing levels on the program.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/05/13/nasa-safety-advisors-voice-concerns-over-boeings-starliner-spacexs-starship/

NASA, Boeing ready for long-delayed, high-stakes Starliner test flight
May 17, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]


Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft was hoisted on top of ULA’s Atlas 5 rocket May 4 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Credit: United Launch Alliance

Running years late, Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule program is poised for a crucial unpiloted test flight to the International Space Station set for launch Thursday, a do-over of an abbreviated 2019 demo mission that has cost the aerospace contractor nearly $600 million.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/05/17/nasa-boeing-ready-for-long-delayed-high-stakes-starliner-test-flight/

Atlas 5 rocket and Starliner capsule return to Florida launch pad
May 18, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]


ULA’s Atlas 5 rocket and Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule on their launch pad Wednesday at Cape Canaveral. Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now

United Launch Alliance rolled an Atlas 5 rocket to its launch pad Wednesday at Cape Canaveral, moving into the starting position for a critical unpiloted demo flight of Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule. Unlike the first Starliner test flight, the spacecraft’s launch abort system will be armed during the climb to space Thursday.

Running years behind schedule, Boeing’s crew capsule is one of two spacecraft NASA selected in 2014 to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station. The other capsule was SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, which has now launched seven times with people on-board.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/05/18/atlas-5-rocket-and-starliner-capsule-return-to-florida-launch-pad/

Starliner astronauts eager to see results from crew capsule test flight
May 18, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]


NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore speaks with reporters Wednesday at the Kennedy Space Center. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

The NASA astronauts training for the first crew missions on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft will be closely watching each step of the capsule’s unpiloted test flight to the International Space Station, set for blastoff Thursday from Cape Canaveral on an Atlas 5 rocket.

NASA has funneled more than $5 billion into Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule program since 2010, but the spacecraft is running years behind schedule. The mission set for launch Thursday, named Orbital Flight Test-2, is a precursor demonstration flight to prove out key Starliner systems before NASA commits to putting astronauts on the vehicle.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/05/18/starliner-astronauts-eager-to-see-results-of-crew-capsule-test-flight/

NASA and Boeing set for second Starliner test flight
by Jeff Foust — May 19, 2022 [SN]


Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, atop its Atlas 5 rocket, rolled out to the launch pad May 18. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft is ready to attempt another uncrewed test flight to the International Space Station, with both the company and the agency expressing confidence in the spacecraft despite past problems.

The Starliner spacecraft, atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, rolled out to the pad at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral, Florida, May 18. Launch of the spacecraft on the Orbital Flight Test (OFT) 2 mission remains scheduled for 6:54 p.m. Eastern May 19.
https://spacenews.com/nasa-and-boeing-set-for-second-starliner-test-flight/

Atlas 5 launches Starliner on second uncrewed test flight
by Jeff Foust — May 19, 2022 Updated 10 p.m. Eastern with comments from postlaunch briefing.  [SN]


An Atlas 5 lifts off from Cape Canaveral carrying Boeing's CST-100 Starliner on a second uncrewed test flight. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft is on its way to the International Space Station on a critical, long-delayed uncrewed test flight of the commercial crew vehicle.

An Atlas 5 N22 rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 6:54 p.m. Eastern May 19. The Starliner spacecraft, formally designated Spacecraft 2 by Boeing, separated from the dual-engine Centaur upper stage 15 minutes after liftoff, performing a 40-second orbital insertion burn 16 minutes later to place the spacecraft into a stable orbit.
https://spacenews.com/atlas-5-launches-starliner-on-second-uncrewed-test-flight/

Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule takes off on long-awaited test flight
May 19, 2022 Stephen Clark [SN]


ULA’s Atlas 5 rocket climbs off pad 41 with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft thundered into orbit Thursday from Cape Canaveral aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, aiming to dock at the International Space Station on a years-late test flight to prove the capsule’s systems before flying astronauts.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/05/19/boeings-starliner-crew-capsule-takes-off-on-long-awaited-test-flight/

OFT-2 Flies, Heads for Friday Space Station Docking
by Ben Evans May 20, 2022 [AS]


OFT-2 takes flight at 6:54 p.m. EDT Thursday. Photo Credit: NASA

After more than two years of mixed fortunes, the second Orbital Flight Test (OFT-2) of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner—the second of two Commercial Crew vehicles, alongside the now-active SpaceX Crew Dragon—rose from historic Space Launch Complex (SLC)-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla., during an “instantaneous” launch window at 6:54:47 p.m. EDT Thursday, 19 May.
https://www.americaspace.com/2022/05/20/oft-2-flies-heads-for-friday-space-station-docking/

Starliner docks with ISS for the first time
by Jeff Foust — May 20, 2022 Updated 10:45 p.m. Eastern with post-launch briefing comments. [SN]


Boeing's CST-100 Starliner approaching the International Space Station shortly before its docking. Credit: NASA TV

TITUSVILLE, Fla. — Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft successfully docked with the International Space Station May 20, a little more than 24 hours after its launch.

The spacecraft docked with the forward docking port on the Harmony module of the station at 8:28 p.m. Eastern. Controllers reported a hard docking securing the spacecraft to the station about 20 minutes later, although hatches separating the spacecraft from the station won’t open until around 11:45 a.m. Eastern May 21.

The central theme of the annual report of the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP), released Jan. 11, was a need to reexamine the roles and responsibilities of NASA as human spaceflight programs are increasingly managed by industry rather than NASA itself, as was the case for most of the agency’s history.
https://spacenews.com/starliner-docks-with-iss-for-the-first-time/

Boeing’s Starliner capsule completes first “nail-biting” docking at space station
May 21, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]


Russian cosmonaut Sergey Korsakov captured this view of the Starliner spacecraft approaching the International Space Station. Credit: Sergey Korsakov / Roscosmos

Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule finally reached the International Space Station Friday night with a “nail-biting” rendezvous and docking, overcoming several technical glitches to accomplish a long-awaited objective for the spacecraft before NASA clears it to ferry astronauts to the research complex.

The crew capsule docked at the forward end of the station’s Harmony module at 8:28 p.m. EDT Friday (0028 GMT Saturday), using vision-based navigation to autonomously guide itself to the docking target.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/05/21/boeings-starliner-capsule-completes-first-nail-biting-docking-at-space-station/

Starliner launches to remain on Atlas 5
by Jeff Foust — May 22, 2022 [SN]


An Atlas 5 launches Boeing's CST-100 Starliner May 19. Seven future crewed launches will all be on Atlas 5, even if the vehicle is otherwise retired as ULA shifts to the Vulcan Centaur. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

WASHINGTON — Boeing and United Launch Alliance say they remain committed to launching future CST-100 Starliner commercial crew missions on Atlas 5 rockets even after that vehicle is effectively retired for other missions.

As with the Orbital Flight Test (OFT) mission in late 2019, an Atlas 5 launched Starliner on the OFT-2 mission May 19. Boeing has a contract with ULA to launch both the Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission, the first Starliner mission to carry astronauts, and six operational or post-certification missions on Atlas 5 vehicles as well.
https://spacenews.com/starliner-launches-to-remain-on-atlas-5/

Starliner spacecraft cleared for undocking and re-entry
May 24, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]


Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft docked at the International Space Station. Credit: NASA

Astronauts on the International Space Station closed the hatch to Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft Tuesday, and ground teams used the lab’s robotic arm to inspect the capsule’s heat shield to clear the test vehicle for undocking Wednesday and return to Earth for a late afternoon landing in New Mexico.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/05/24/starliner-spacecraft-cleared-for-undocking-and-re-entry/

Starliner concludes OFT-2 test flight with landing in New Mexico
by Jeff Foust — May 25, 2022 Updated 10:30 p.m. Eastern with comments from postlanding briefing. [SN]


Boeing's CST-100 Starliner moments before landing at White Sands Space Harbor, New Mexico, to conclude the OFT-2 uncrewed test flight. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

LONG BEACH, Calif. — Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner safely landed in New Mexico May 25, concluding a six-day uncrewed test flight to the International Space Station and setting the stage for the spacecraft’s first flight with people.
https://spacenews.com/starliner-concludes-oft-2-test-flight-with-landing-in-new-mexico/

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft lands in New Mexico after successful test flight
May 25, 2022 Stephen Clark [SFN]


Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft descends toward landing at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft parachuted to a “picture perfect” landing in southern New Mexico Wednesday, capping a six-day test flight to the International Space Station that NASA’s commercial crew program manager said paves the way for the next Starliner mission to carry astronauts.

The crew capsule touched down at White Sands Space Harbor, co-located with the U.S. Army’s White Sands Missile Range, at 6:49 p.m. EDT (4:49 p.m. MDT; 2249 GMT).
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/05/25/boeings-starliner-spacecraft-lands-in-new-mexico-after-successful-test-flight/

OFT-2 Returns Safely Home, Completing Successful ISS Mission
by Ben Evans May 26, 2022 [AS]


The long-awaited OFT-2 mission comes to a successful conclusion at White Sands Space Harbor (WSSH), N.M., at 4:49 p.m. MDT (6:49 p.m. EDT) Wednesday. Photo Credit: NASA

After a flight lasting a few minutes shy of six full days, more than four days of which were spent docked to the International Space Station (ISS), Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner safely returned to Earth late Wednesday, touching down at 4:49 p.m. MDT (6:49 p.m. EDT) with the assistance of its airbags and three perfect parachutes at mountain-ringed White Sands Space Harbor (WSSH), N.M. It marked the triumphant conclusion of the long-awaited second Orbital Flight Test (OFT-2) of the spacecraft, wrapping up a major test objective for NASA’s second Commercial Crew partner. Pending data review from OFT-2, the next step will be a Crew Flight Test (CFT) to the space station, later this year.
https://www.americaspace.com/2022/05/26/oft-2-returns-safely-home-completing-successful-iss-mission/

[Orionid]

NASA assigns two astronauts to Starliner test flight
by Jeff Foust — June 16, 2022 [SN]


NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore (left) and Suni Williams (right) will fly the first crewed Boeing CST-100 Starliner mission. Mike Fincke (center), previously assigned to the mission, will be a backup. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

PASADENA, Calif. — NASA has assigned two veteran astronauts to the first crewed flight of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft in the latest reshuffling of personnel assigned to the long-delayed mission.

NASA announced June 16 that Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore will fly the Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission no earlier than late this year. The mission will travel to the International Space Station on a flight currently expected to last two weeks.
https://spacenews.com/nasa-assigns-two-astronauts-to-starliner-test-flight/



First crewed Starliner mission on track for April
Jeff Foust February 17, 2023


Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft was wheeled into a processing area at the Kennedy Space Center in early February in preparation for fueling ahead of its launch on a crewed test flight in mid to late April. Credit: NASA

WASHINGTON — Preparations for the first crewed flight of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner vehicle to the International Space Station remain on schedule for a launch in mid to late April, company and NASA officials said Feb. 17.

The Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission will send NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the station on an eight-day mission, launching from Cape Canaveral and landing at White Sands, New Mexico. The mission, following a successful uncrewed flight to the ISS last May, is intended to be the final major test of the vehicle before NASA certifies it for use on ISS crew rotation missions.
https://spacenews.com/first-crewed-starliner-mission-on-track-for-april/


STARLINER CREW FLIGHT TEST SLIPS AGAIN, NOW JULY AT THE EARLIEST
By Marcia Smith | Posted: March 29, 2023 9:55 pm ET | Last Updated: March 29, 2023 9:57 pm ET


Boeing Starliner OFT-2 landing at White Sands Space Harbor, NM, May 25, 2022. Photo credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

The Crew Flight Test of Boeing’s commercial crew spacecraft, CST-100 Starliner, has slipped again by several months. NASA and Boeing said today the test flight carrying two NASA astronauts will take place no earlier than July 21 and even that date is contingent on deconflicting with a U.S. Space Force launch about the same time.

Boeing and SpaceX won contracts from NASA in 2014 to develop crew transportation systems to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station through Public-Private Partnerships. NASA wanted two contractors to provide redundancy and competition.

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon was certified as meeting NASA’s requirements in 2020 and is now operational. Boeing suffered a series of setbacks starting in December 2019 when the first uncrewed Orbital Flight Test (OFT) experienced significant anomalies. The decision was made to redo the test. Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) ran into its own problems and did not successfully launch until May 2022. (...)

Steve Stich, the head of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, and Mark Nappi, Boeing Vice President and Program Manager for Starliner, attributed the delay to a combination of final preparations taking longer than expected and finding a time to fit it into the busy schedule on the ISS and at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS). (...)
https://spacepolicyonline.com/news/starliner-crew-flight-test-slips-again-now-july-at-the-earliest/

NASA, Boeing Target NET 21 July for Starliner Crew Flight Test (CFT) Launch
by Ben Evans March 30


Pilot Suni Williams (left) and Commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore participate in a crew validation test of their Boeing launch and entry suits in October 2022. Photo Credit: NASA

Teams from NASA, Boeing and United Launch Alliance (ULA) are tracking No Earlier Than (NET) 21 July for the launch of the long-awaited Crew Flight Test (CFT) of the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS). Originally targeting liftoff atop a mighty ULA Atlas V booster from Space Launch Complex (SLC)-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla., in the second half of April, the mission—crewed by Commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Pilot Suni Williams—has slipped by almost 12 weeks to midsummer in response to issues pertaining to product certification, hardware/software testing and a busy ISS visiting vehicle manifest.
https://www.americaspace.com/2023/03/29/nasa-boeing-target-net-21-july-for-starliner-crew-flight-test-cft-launch/

[Orionid]

Boeing records more losses from Starliner delays
Jeff Foust July 26, 2023 [SN]


Issues with parachutes and tape for wiring harnesses will delay the first crewed flight of Boeing's CST-100 Starliner beyond July. Credit: Boeing/John Grant

WASHINGTON — Boeing took another loss on its CST-100 Starliner commercial crew program as the first crewed flight of that vehicle remains in limbo.

In its fiscal second quarter financial results released July 26, the company said it took a $257 million loss on the Starliner program, citing the delay in the vehicle’s first flight with astronauts on board that Boeing and NASA announced June 1. That loss was the biggest single factor in a $527 million loss the company reported for its Defense, Space and Security business unit in the quarter.
https://spacenews.com/boeing-records-more-losses-from-starliner-delays/



Starliner “on track” for April crewed test flight
Jeff Foust November 21, 2023 [SN]


The Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew capsule being prepared for the Crew Flight Test mission. Credit: Boeing/John Grant

WASHINGTON — NASA says the first crewed launch of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner vehicle remains on schedule for the middle of April as the company completes work to resolve the latest technical problems with the vehicle.

Speaking at a Nov. 20 meeting of the NASA Advisory Council’s human exploration and operations committee, Phil McAlister, director of the agency’s commercial space division, said preparations for the Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission were on schedule for a launch as soon as April 14.
https://spacenews.com/starliner-on-track-for-april-crewed-test-flight/

[Orionid]

Wilmore, Williams Arrive in Florida, Ahead of Historic Starliner Launch NET 6 May
by Ben Evans, April 25, 2024 [AS]


Crew Flight Test (CFT) Commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Pilot Suni Williams arrive at KSC’s Launch and Landing Facility (LLF) on Thursday afternoon. Photo Credit: NASA

Veteran NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Suni Williams arrived at the Launch and Landing Facility (LLF) at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on Thursday afternoon as efforts enter high gear for the first launch of humans aboard Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft and the first crewed flight of an Atlas booster in over six decades. Wilmore and Williams, both retired Navy captains and each with two prior missions and almost 500 cumulative days in space, are targeting liftoff from storied Space Launch Complex (SLC)-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla., no earlier than 10:34 p.m. EDT on 6 May for an approximately week-long visit to the International Space Station (ISS). (...)
https://www.americaspace.com/2024/04/25/wilmore-williams-arrive-in-florida-ahead-of-historic-starliner-launch-net-6-may/

Starliner crewed test flight passes key review
Jeff Foust April 25, 2024 [SN]


Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner commercial crew vehicle being installed on its Atlas 5 rocket for the Crew Flight Test mission scheduled to launch as soon as May 6. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

WASHINGTON — The first crewed flight of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft is a step closer to launch after completing a major pre-launch review April 25.

NASA announced at an April 25 briefing that, at the completion of the two-day Flight Test Readiness Review, officials approved plans to proceed with the Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission, with a launch scheduled for 10:34 p.m. Eastern May 6 from Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex (SLC) 41. Backup launch opportunities are available May 7, 10 and 11. (...)
https://spacenews.com/starliner-crewed-test-flight-passes-key-review/

NASA astronauts arrive at Kennedy Space Center ahead of Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test
April 25, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith [SFN]


NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore (left) and Suni Williams (right) pose by their mission patch following their arrival at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in the run-up to the Starliner Crew Flight Test on May 6. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now
https://spaceflightnow.com/2024/04/25/nasa-astronauts-arrive-at-kennedy-space-center-ahead-of-boeing-starliner-crew-flight-test/
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/25/world/boeing-starliner-launch-spacex-delays-scn/index.html
https://spacepolicyonline.com/news/starliner-cft-cleared-for-may-6-launch/

Starliner: Boeing prepares to launch its first crewed spacecraft as it chases after SpaceX
Published: May 3, 2024 7.01 pm CEST Gareth Dorrian

Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner is scheduled to make its first flight into space with astronauts on May 6, 2024. This flight and a few others will take place take under contract with Nasa, as part of a programme to transport astronauts from Earth to the International Space Station (ISS) and back.

Following years of delays, a successful flight would provide the United States with a second operational spacecraft to carry astronauts to low-Earth orbit, after SpaceX’s Crew Dragon. (...)

Having two different spacecraft available provides a back-up option if something should go wrong with one of them. So it will secure access to space for astronauts from American soil. While Starliner will be flying to the ISS for now, it could eventually make trips to future commercial space stations, like that being built by Houston-based company Axiom Space.

Getting to space has never been easy, however. In the case of Starliner, that is something of an understatement. The project began back in 2010 as part of Nasa’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP) when Boeing, along with SpaceX, and Sierra Nevada, was selected to develop spacecraft that could provide access to low-Earth orbit and the ISS. (...)
https://theconversation.com/starliner-boeing-prepares-to-launch-its-first-crewed-spacecraft-as-it-chases-after-spacex-228950

Russia may skip first operational Starliner mission
Jeff Foust May 5, 2024 [SN]


Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner atop its Atlas 5 rocket at Space Launch Complex 41 ahead of the Crew Flight Test launch. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — Even a successful crewed test flight of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner vehicle could create a temporary hiccup in plans to exchange seats between commercial crew vehicles and Soyuz spacecraft going to the International Space Station. (...)

The fourth person to fly on that mission has not yet been assigned. “The final crew assignment for Starliner-1 will be announced following review and approval by the agency and its international partners,” NASA said in November when it announced the addition of Kutryk to the crew. (...)

At the May 3 briefing, though, NASA officials said it was unlikely that a Russian cosmonaut would be assigned to Starliner-1. “We expect, on the Roscosmos side, they’re more likely to want to see a long-duration flight also, so we think they’ll want to start to fly with us on Starliner-2,” said Dana Weigel, NASA ISS program manager. (...)
https://spacenews.com/russia-may-skip-first-operational-starliner-mission/

Boeing’s Starliner set to launch first crew flight
written by Sawyer Rosenstein May 6, 2024 [SFN]

After years of anticipation, Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner capsule is ready to fly its first crew into space on the 100th flight of an Atlas V launch vehicle. Capping off Starliner’s test campaign, the Crew Flight Test (CFT) will send Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams on a trajectory to rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS) where they will remain for about a week. Launch was initially scheduled for May 6, but was scrubbed just under two hours before the flight due to an issue with an oxygen valve on Centaur. Liftoff is now unknown with a wide range of prospective dates for the next launch.
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2024/05/starliner-cft-launch/

11:03 PM · May 6, 2024
A5/Starliner CFT: Good afternoon; we're monitoring the countdown to liftoff of a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket carrying Boeing's Starliner spacecraft with NASA astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore and co-pilot Sunita Williams at the controls. Liftoff from pad 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is set for 10:34pm EDT (0234 UTC); weather is 95% go

A5/Starliner CFT: Working by remote control, ULA engineers began loading cryogenic liquid oxygen and hydrogen propellants into the Atlas 5/Centaur tanks at 4:41pm EDT (2041 UTC)

12:34 AM · May 7, 2024
A5/Starliner CFT: Weather remains 95% 'go' for launch; Wilmore and Williams are in the process of donning their dark blue Boeing pressure suits in NASA crew quarters; the trip to the pad in Boeing's Airstream-built "Astrovan" is expected to begin around 7:15pm EDT (2315 UTC)

A5/Starliner CFT: Here's a look at Williams and Wilmore in the suit-up room at NASA crew quarters




A5/Starliner CFT: In a pre-flight tradition, Wilmore and Williams played a card game with dealer Joe Acaba, NASA's chief astronaut; Wilmore won, so the team is go for launch!



A5/Starliner CFT: Williams and Wilmore are heading to launch complex 41 to begin strapping in for launch; their Airstream van is equipped with a large-screen TV so Wilmore can watch favorite scenes from "Top Gun: Maverick" on the way to the pad (so he said last week!)




A5/Starliner CFT: The astronauts have reached launch pad 41; they took a few moments to take in the view of their rocket from ground level before taking an elevator up to Level 12 of the Crew Access Tower; boarding began after Wilmore, a Sunday school teacher in Houston, presumably led the closeout crew in a prayer




A5/Starliner CFT: Wilmore is now strapped into his seat aboard the Starliner; Williams, sitting to his right, is still being buckled up and secured by the Boeing closeout crew; she's carrying out a suit leak check; hatch closure is expected in about an hour


2:33 AM · May 7, 2024
A5/Starliner CFT: SCRUB!

5/Starliner CFT: Unexpected behavior of an oxygen relief valve in the Atlas 5's Centaur upper stage, described as a "chattering," has prompted a scrub of this evening's launch; it's not yet clear when another launch try will be attempted; we’ll pass along updates as soon as more information is available


A5/Starliner CFT: We're standing by for a 10:30 pm EDT (0230 UTC) news conference to learn more about what caused tonight's Atlas 5-Starliner launch scrub and what the forward plan might be

A5/Starliner CFT: United Launch Alliance CEO Tory Bruno says the trouble with the Centaur oxygen relief valve was first detected as a flutter, or audible "humming" as the valve repeatedly tried to seat itself

A5/Starliner CFT: The valve is qualified for 200,000 open-close cycles; the flight rule for the Starliner mission called for a scrub if there was a chance the valve could have been at or near the qualification limit before the countdown hit zero; engineers are working to figure out how many cycles were actually involved by analyzing accelerometer data from sensors on the Centaur's RL10A engines

A5/Starliner CFT: Bruno said if this had been a satellite launch, engineers would have carried out a realtime procedure to reseat the valve and the satellite would be in orbit; but the flight rule for a piloted launch forbids any alterations of the rocket in its "fueled state;" as a result, the launch was scrubbed

A5/Starliner CFT: If the valve does not have to be replaced, another launch attempt would be possible, in theory, Tuesday night; but that assumes engineers are confident the data supports flying the valve as is. If the valve has to be replaced, the rocked would have to be rolled back to its processing facility and launch likely would be delayed to Sunday at the earliest

A5/Starliner CFT: Bruno expects to know the results of the analysis tomorrow; we'll pass along the plan going forward as soon as they decide on a course of action

A5/Starliner CFT: United Launch Alliance said early Tuesday "the team needs additional time to complete a full assessment (of the valve issue), so we are targeting the next launch attempt no earlier than Friday, May 10." That assumes the valve does not need to be replaced, which we think is still TBD at this point
https://twitter.com/cbs_spacenews

1:27 AM · May 8, 2024
A5/Starliner CFT: United Launch Alliance managers have decided to haul the Starliner Atlas 5 off the pad and back to the Vertical Integration Facility to replace an oxygen pressure relief valve in the rocket's Centaur upper stage; launch is now targeted for no earlier than May 17, at 6:16pm EDT (2216 UTC)

A5/Starliner CFT: Rollback to the VIF is planned for Wednesday; NASA says that "after evaluating the valve history, data signatures from the launch attempt and assessing the risks relative to continued use, the ULA team determined the valve exceeded its qualification and mission managers agreed to remove and replace the valve"





Starliner launch scrubbed by trouble with a valve in the Atlas 5’s Centaur upper stage
May 7, 2024 William Harwood


A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket was fueled for launch May 6, 2024 for the Starliner Crew Test Flight. Image: NASA TV.

An Atlas 5 rocket carrying astronauts for the first time was fueled for blastoff Monday night to boost Boeing’s long-delayed Starliner crew ferry ship into orbit for its first piloted test flight. But trouble with a valve in the rocket’s upper stage forced mission managers to order a scrub just two hours before takeoff.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2024/05/07/starliner-launch-scrubbed-by-trouble-with-a-valve-in-the-atlas-5s-centaur-upper-stage/
https://www.axios.com/2024/05/06/boeing-starliner-nasa-iss-test-flight

Boeing is troubleshooting a small helium leak on the Starliner spacecraft
STEPHEN CLARK - 5/14/2024, 9:47 PM

The first launch of astronauts aboard Boeing's Starliner capsule is now set for May 21.


A view looking down at Boeing's Starliner spacecraft and United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket inside the Vertical Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.

Boeing is taking a few extra days to resolve a small helium leak on the Starliner spacecraft slated to ferry two NASA astronauts on a test flight to the International Space Station, officials said Tuesday.

This means the first crew launch of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, running years behind schedule and more than $1.4 billion over budget, won't happen before next Tuesday, May 21, at 4:43 pm EDT (20:43 UTC). Meeting this schedule assumes engineers can get comfortable with the helium leak. Officials from Boeing and NASA, which manages Boeing's multibillion-dollar Starliner commercial crew contract, previously targeted Friday, May 17, for the spacecraft's first launch with astronauts onboard.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/05/boeing-is-troubleshooting-a-small-helium-leak-on-the-starliner-spacecraft/

Helium leak delays Starliner crewed test flight
Jeff Foust May 14, 2024


Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner on the pad during its May 6 launch attempt. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

WASHINGTON — The launch of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft on its first crewed flight has slipped at least four days because of a helium leak in the spacecraft.

Boeing announced May 14 that the launch of the Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission, previously scheduled for May 17, has been rescheduled for no earlier than May 21 at 4:43 p.m. Eastern on an Atlas 5 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
https://spacenews.com/helium-leak-delays-starliner-crewed-test-flight/

Starliner launch scrubs again with less than four minutes to go; computer sequencer blamed
RICK NEALE ,  BROOKE EDWARDS   Florida Today, June 1, 2024



(...) Bruno described the computer ground launch sequencer − which caused the scrub − as three main computers separate from the launch pad. Each computer has multiple cards in it linked to a separate function. ULA suspects the issue may be with one of the cards. If that is the case, teams will simply replace it.

"I know it's a little disappointing," said Steve Stitch, program manager for NASA's Commercial Crew Program. "We were all excited. Butch and Suni were excited to fly. This is kind of the way spaceflight is."

He added: "This is my 37th year at NASA today, and I've been doing human spaceflight for a long time. Every time you go to the pad for a crewed flight, or really any flight, you got a chance of scrubbing." (...)
https://eu.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/2024/06/01/boeing-nasa-starliner-launch-scrubs-again-with-less-than-four-minutes-in-countdown-at-cape-canaveral/73920954007/
https://eu.floridatoday.com/picture-gallery/tech/science/space/2024/06/01/boeing-starliner-crewed-launch-attempt-june-1-from-cape-canaveral-space-force-station-in-florida/73936177007/

Starliner lifts off on crewed test flight
Jeff Foust June 5, 2024 [SN]


An Atlas 5 lifts off June 5 carrying Boeing's CST-100 Starliner on the Crew Flight Test mission. Credit: SpaceNews/Jeff Foust

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft is in orbit on its first crewed flight after two recent launch scrubs and years of development delays.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 10:52 a.m. Eastern June 5 on the Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission. Starliner separated from the Centaur upper stage 15 minutes after liftoff and completed an orbital insertion burn with its own thrusters 16 minutes later, placing the spacecraft into low Earth.
https://spacenews.com/starliner-lifts-off-on-crewed-test-flight/

[Orionid]

Third time’s the charm for the Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test
June 5, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith [SFN]


Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner launches atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on the Crew Flight Test at 10:52 a.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, June 5, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Image: Boeing/ Joey Jetton

Update June 5, 12:06 p.m.: The Boeing Starliner spacecraft successfully separated from the Centaur upper stage of the Atlas 5 rocket. The spacecraft completed its orbital insertion burn and a subsequent burn to circularize its orbit.

The third time was the charm for the first crewed flight of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. After two launch attempts on May 6 and June 1 ended with scrubs, the Atlas 5 rocket roared off pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, beginning a more than week-long mission for NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. (...)

The launch on June 5 came nearly a month after the original launch date of May 6. That launch was scuttled by an oxygen pressure relief valve on the Altas 5 rocket’s upper stage. The mission stood down for weeks as teams assessed a helium leak on the Starliner’s service module. (...)

After the lunch of the Demo-2 mission, SpaceX went on to send more than 50 people to space over the course of 13 flights, 12 of which went to the ISS. Boeing is working to overcome a years-long delay due to numerous technical issues that cost the company more than $1 billion. (...)
https://spaceflightnow.com/2024/06/05/live-coverage-nasa-boeing-and-ula-prepare-third-launch-attempt-of-the-starliner-crew-flight-test/

Mighty Atlas Successfully Launches CFT Starliner, Space Station Docking Scheduled Tomorrow
by Ben Evans June 05, 2024


Photo Credit: Jeff Seibert/AmericaSpace

For the first time in six decades, a member of the long-serving Atlas family of launch vehicles has returned to human spaceflight service, delivering Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft and Crew Flight Test (CFT) Commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Pilot Suni Williams safely into orbit from storied Space Launch Complex (SLC)-41 at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The workhorse Atlas V booster—flying the fleet’s 100th mission since August 2002—took flight under 1.6 million pounds (725,500 kilograms) of thrust at precisely 10:52:15 a.m. EDT Wednesday, pushing Wilmore and Williams on the first leg of their daylong trek to the International Space Station (ISS).
https://www.americaspace.com/2024/06/05/mighty-atlas-successfully-launches-cft-starliner-space-station-docking-scheduled-tomorrow/

Fifth helium leak detected on Starliner
Jeff Foust June 11, 2024


Boeing's CST-100 Starliner approaching the ISS before docking on the Crew Flight Test mission June 6. Credit: NASA

WASHINGTON — NASA confirmed that Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft has suffered a fifth, although minor, helium leak in its propulsion system as engineers work to prepare the vehicle for its return to Earth next week.

In a June 10 statement, NASA mentioned that spacecraft teams were examining “what impacts, if any, five small leaks in the service module helium manifolds would have on the remainder of the mission.”
https://spacenews.com/fifth-helium-leak-detected-on-starliner/

CFT Starliner Departure Stands Down, Targets NET July Return to Earth
by Ben Evans June 22, 2024 [AS]


Crew Flight Test (CFT) Commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Pilot Suni Williams have seen their mission extended four times, producing a minimum duration of eight docked days to one likely to approach a full month aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Photo Credit: NASA

(...) Yesterday, as Dyson, Barratt, Dominick and Epps rested ahead of U.S. EVA-90, Wilmore and Williams helped tidy up the ISS and adjusted seats aboard Starliner. They also exchanged thermal hardware, refreshed crew provisions and packed trash aboard Northrop Grumman Corp.’s NG-20 Cygnus cargo ship for its impending departure.

Undocking—whenever it takes place—is set to occur about 6.5 hours prior to landing, a little sooner than it would happen on operational missions in order that Wilmore and Williams can perform additional tests. (...)
https://www.americaspace.com/2024/06/22/cft-starliner-departure-stands-down-targets-net-july-return-to-earth/

NASA again delays Starliner undocking, return to Earth
June 22, 2024 William Harwood [SFN]


The Starliner spacecraft on NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test is pictured docked to the Harmony module’s forward port as the International Space Station orbited 263 miles above the Mediterranean Sea. Image: NASA.

NASA and Boeing managers have again decided to extend the Starliner crew capsule’s stay at the International Space Station, passing up a June 26 re-entry to allow more time for analysis and testing to make sure helium leaks and thruster failures are fully understood, officials said late Friday.

NASA plans to hold a formal re-entry readiness review before setting a new landing target date. Given the on-going analysis, the Starliner’s undocking and return to Earth likely will slip past two already planned space station spacewalks on Monday and July 2.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2024/06/22/nasa-again-delays-starliner-undocking-return-to-earth/

[Orionid]

Czyżby szykowało się lądowanie z pompą ?

Starliner return delayed to July
Jeff Foust June 21, 2024 [SN]


Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft docked to the International Space Station during the Crew Flight Test mission. Credit: NASA

(...) The NASA statement did not disclose long Starliner could stay at the station, only that the crew “is not pressed for time to leave the station since there are plenty of supplies in orbit” and there are no other missions scheduled to go to the station through mid-August. Stich said at a briefing just after Starliner’s June 6 docking that the spacecraft could remain at the station for 45 days.

NASA did not give a specific date for the next opportunity for Starliner to return to Earth. However, at the June 18 briefing, Mike Lammers, a NASA flight director supporting the CFT mission, said landing opportunities were in a “every four day” pattern driven by the station’s orbit and the location of landing sites in the southwestern United States. That would mean the next landing opportunity after the spacewalks would be around July 4. (...)
https://spacenews.com/starliner-return-delayed-to-july/

https://www.chron.com/news/space/article/boeing-starliner-nasa-astronauts-delay-19529794.php
https://www.upi.com/Science_News/2024/06/22/nasa-starliner-boeing-crew-return/7601719075815/
https://starlinerupdates.com/starliner-flight-day-7-activities/

NASA, Boeing provide update on the Starliner Crew Flight Test mission
July 25, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

(...) Stich says he's meeting with Dana Weigel, NASA's ISS Program manager, this afternoon to talk about all of the different options regarding whether they will be able to return Starliner back before launching the Crew-9 mission to allow for a direct handover with Crew-8, currently on station.

He said they would still like the direct handover, which would have Starliner undock sometime through August 19 or 20. He says they can adjust and they have a "pretty good window." Stich adds that there's a "key Soyuz handover coming up in September around the 11th through the 23rd and that's really the time frame we want to have both the handover for Crew-9 and Crew-8 completed." (...)

Stich confirms that the batteries on Starliner, which were initially approved for 45-days, have received an extension of their approved life out to 90 days.

"So that gives us time, if we need it, all the way out through, let's say, the early September timeframe. We'll work to execute an agency review as soon as we're ready to do that. That could be as early as late next week."
https://spaceflightnow.com/2024/07/25/live-nasa-boeing-provide-update-on-the-starliner-crew-flight-test-mission/

Boeing takes additional $125 million loss on Starliner
Jeff Foust August 1, 2024 [SN]


Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft docked to the International Space Station during the Crew Flight Test mission. Credit: NASA

(...) Boeing has taken about $1.6 billion in charges on Starliner throughout the program, mostly since a flawed initial uncrewed test flight in late 2019. The company took a $288 million loss on Starliner in 2023, including $257 million in the second quarter of last year after the company delayed the CFT mission to 2024. (...)
https://spacenews.com/boeing-takes-additional-125-million-loss-on-starliner/

[Orionid]

Są rozważane różne warianty powrotu Starlinera na Ziemię.
Boeing przedstawia znaczący postęp w pozyskiwaniu potrzebnych danych nt. diagnozowania problemu.

Ograniczeniem w długości lotu jest czas ekspoatacji baterii Starlinera, co może być przeszkodą w ewentualnym dłuższym analizowaniu problemu.

NASA weighs Boeing vs. SpaceX choice in bringing back Starliner astronauts
Published Fri, Aug 2 202411:49 AM EDT Michael Sheetz


Boeing spacecraft Starliner is seen from the window of SpaceX’s Dragon capsule “Endeavour” on July 3, 2024 while docked with the International Space Station during the crew flight test. NASA

(...) The agency’s concern with Starliner — which flew NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station in early June — comes from not having identified a root cause for why multiple of the spacecraft’s thrusters failed during docking, a person familiar with the situation told CNBC. (...)

NASA did not respond to CNBC’s request for comment on the ongoing Starliner discussions, but told Ars Technica in a statement that the agency “is evaluating all options for the return.”

“No decisions have been made and the agency will continue to provide updates on its planning,” NASA said. (...)
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/08/02/nasa-may-return-starliner-astronauts-on-boeing-or-spacex.html

Boeing Has Created the Flight Delay to End All Flight Delays
By Marina Koren August 8, 2024, 12:10 PM ET


Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda / Orlando Sentinel / Tribune News Service / Getty

Boeing sent two NASA astronauts to space for eight days. They could be there for eight months.

(...) The Boeing team feels confident that Starliner can complete its mission, even with uncertainty surrounding the propulsion system, but some at NASA aren’t so sure, Ken Bowersox, NASA’s associate administrator for space operations, said at the press conference. During a meeting of NASA officials this week, “we heard from a lot of folks that had concerns, and the decision was not clear,” Bowersox said. NASA will make the final call, not Boeing; a committee from the commercial-crew program will recommend a course of action to Bowersox, and the decision could go all the way up to the space agency’s administrator.

If NASA decides to tap in SpaceX, the next Dragon mission would launch in late September with two astronauts instead of the initially planned four. Those astronauts would remain on the ISS for a regular six-month stay, and then Wilmore and Williams would come home with them in February 2025. Starliner would come home in early September, on its own. (...)
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2024/08/boeing-starliner-delay-return-spacex/679401/

NASA pushes Starliner return decision to late August
Jeff Foust August 14, 2024 [SN]


Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner has been docked to the ISS since early June. Credit: NASA

WASHINGTON — NASA now expects to make a decision by late August on whether NASA astronauts will return on Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft as the agency outlined the process it will take to reach that decision.

At an Aug. 14 briefing, Ken Bowersox, NASA associate administrator for space operations, said a flight readiness review regarding Starliner’s return to Earth is now planned for late next week or early the following week, which would be the last week of August.

That is a somewhat later schedule than what the agency offered at the previous Starliner briefing Aug. 7. At that time, officials said they expected to make a decision around the middle of August about whether astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who launched on the spacecraft in June, would come back on the spacecraft or remain on the station until early 2025. If they remain, Starliner would make an uncrewed return while the two astronauts would return in early 2025 on the Crew-9 Crew Dragon launching in September.

At the latest briefing, Bowersox said there were no “major announcements” about the ongoing review of Starliner, which remains focused on the performance of its reaction control system (RCS) thrusters. Five of those thrusters malfunctioned during the spacecraft’s approach to the International Space Station, and NASA has mobilized experts from across the agency to understand what happened to the thrusters and if they are susceptible to similar problems during Starliner’s return to Earth.

The focus on that work remains on understanding what is going on in the RCS thrusters. “The major piece of analysis that we’re waiting for is a detailed 3-D model of the system inside the valve to see if we can model the effects,” he said. That would support a program control board meeting that would offer a recommendation on whether astronauts should return on Starliner that would then be considered by the management-level flight readiness review.

“We’ve got some flexibility there,” Bowersox said of the schedule of the decision-making process for Starliner. “We need to maintain that flexibility so that we make sure that we’re ready for the meeting before we have it.”

That schedule flexibility, though, has its limits. “We can juggle to make things work if we need to extend, but it’s getting a lot harder,” he said, citing use of consumables by the crew and the need to free up the docking port Starliner is at. “We’re reaching a point where, in that last week of August, we really should be making a call, if not sooner.” (...)

Russ DeLoach, chief of NASA’s Office of Safety and Mission Assurance, said the main conclusion he took from the earlier meeting was that they needed more data to make an informed decision. “It really was, ‘Do you feel like you have all the data you would need now to make a good decision?’” he recalled. “To me, most people were at, ‘No, we need a little more work.’”

Those officials said they are cognizant of the lessons learned from the Challenger and Columbia accidents, where dissenting views were not expressed or were ignored. “I’ve been very hyper-focused lately on this concept of combating organizational silence,” DeLoach said. “I recognize that may mean at times we don’t move very fast because we’re getting everything out, and I think you see that at play here.” (...)
https://spacenews.com/nasa-pushes-starliner-return-decision-to-late-august/

NASA shares new plan to bring back Sunita Williams from space: Emergency evacuation strategy explained
ET OnlineLast Updated: Aug 23, 2024, 09:58:00 AM IST

Potential Risks and Scenarios

The delay has led to concerns about the safety of returning the astronauts on the Starliner. As per a CNBC report, Rudy Ridolfi, a former US Army Space Commander, outlined three dangerous scenarios if the Starliner is used for reentry:

Too Steep Reentry Angle: If the spacecraft enters the Earth's atmosphere at too steep an angle, the heat shield could fail, causing the capsule to burn up.

Thruster Failure on Return: Additional thruster failures during reentry could leave the astronauts floating in space with limited oxygen and power.

Ridolfi suggested that NASA consider using SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule as a safer alternative to return the astronauts to Earth. (...)
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/nasa-shares-new-plan-to-bring-back-sunita-williams-from-space-emergency-evacuation-strategy-explained/articleshow/112726386.cms


Live coverage: NASA to announce final determination on how to conclude Starliner Crew Flight Test
August 24, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith


NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, Boeing’s Crew Flight Test Commander and Pilot respectively, inspect safety hardware aboard the International Space Station. Image: NASA

NASA is at a crossroads when it comes to the conclusion of the Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test. The agency is set to announce its decision on whether or not to return NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams on Starliner as originally intended or on a SpaceX Crew Dragon.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2024/08/24/live-coverage-nasa-to-announce-final-determination-on-how-to-conclude-starliner-crew-flight-test/

Starliner to return from ISS without astronauts on board
Jeff Foust August 24, 2024


Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner has been docked to the ISS since early June. Credit: NASA

WASHINGTON — Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner will return from the International Space Station in September without the two astronauts on board who launched on it in June after NASA concluded thruster problems posed too much risk. (...)

However, they said they could not resolve all the uncertainties about the thrusters to their satisfaction. “That uncertainty remains in our understanding in the physics going on in the thrusters,” said Jim Free, NASA associate administrator.

Testing of the thrusters at NASA’s White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico was able to duplicate the loss of performance in the thrusters, with inspections revealing a Teflon seal had heated and expanded, constraining the flow of oxidizer to the thruster. But officials said they didn’t know enough about how that was happening to be confident that there would not be problems during time-critical burns during Starliner’s departure from the station and its deorbit burn.

“There was just too much uncertainty in the prediction of the thrusters,” said Steve Stich, NASA commercial crew program manager. “There was just too much risk for the crew, and so we decided to pursue the uncrewed test flight.” (...)
https://spacenews.com/starliner-to-return-from-iss-without-astronauts-on-board/

NASA rules out bringing astronauts home on Boeing’s Starliner
August 24, 2024 William Harwood


Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft that launched NASA’s Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, seen from a window on the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft. Image: NASA.

After weeks of debate, NASA has ruled out bringing two astronauts back to Earth aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule because of lingering concerns about multiple helium leaks and degraded thrusters, both critical to a successful re-entry, officials said Saturday. (...)

In the process, Wilmore and Williams will become the first astronauts in history to fly in space aboard four different spacecraft: NASA’s space shuttle, Russia’s Soyuz, Boeing’s Starliner and SpaceX’s Crew Dragon. (...)

Ground tests of a new Starliner thruster, fired hundreds of times under conditions that mimicked what those aboard the spacecraft experienced, replicated the overheating signature, which was likely caused by multiple firings during tests of the capsule’s manual control system during extended exposure to direct sunlight.

The higher-than-expected heating likely caused small seals in thruster valve “poppets” to deform and expand, the analysis indicates, which reduced the flow of propellant. The thrusters aboard the Starliner were test fired in space under more normal conditions and all operated properly, indicating the seals had returned to a less intrusive shape.

But there was no way to guarantee the seals would not deform again during thruster firings after undocking or during the de-orbit “burn” when larger rocket motors would generate high temperatures in pods housing the smaller thrusters, which are needed to maintain the spacecraft’s stability for a precisely targeted landing.

“We’re all committed to the mission, which is to bring Butch and Suni back,” said Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager. “But as we got more and more data over the summer and understood the uncertainty of that data, it became very clear to us that the best course of action was to return Starliner uncrewed.

“If we had a way to accurately predict what the thrusters would do all the way through the deorbit burn and through the separation sequence, I think we would have taken a different course of action. But when we looked at the data and looked at the potential for thruster failures with a crew on board … it was just too much risk”. (...)
https://spaceflightnow.com/2024/08/24/nasa-rules-out-bringing-astronauts-home-on-boeings-starliner/

Boeing faces hard questions about Starliner and its future in space
August 27, 20244:54 PM ET Joel Rose

(...) “Almost all of Boeing's problems are cultural,” says Richard Aboulafia, an aviation industry analyst at AeroDynamic Advisory. “It's a management team that was completely disconnected from the folks who actually did the design, integration and manufacture of the company's products. That's a recipe for trouble. And you've seen it in jetliners and defense products and now, of course, in space systems.”

Boeing has not said much publicly about Starliner. (...)
https://www.npr.org/2024/08/27/nx-s1-5086709/boeing-starliner-spacex-space-future

[Orionid]

Teraz wiele zależy od przebiegu trzeciego powrotu Starlinera z orbity

NASA finally gives Boeing Starliner capsule a return date. But it will fly home without its crew
Jackie Wattles By Jackie Wattles, CNN Published 7:17 PM EDT, Thu August 29, 2024


Boeing's Starliner spacecraft that launched NASA's Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station is pictured docked to the Harmony module's forward port. NASA

CNN — After 12 weeks in space, Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is finally set to return home from the International Space Station on September 6 — albeit without its two-person crew.
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/08/29/science/boeing-starliner-nasa-return-date-space-station/index.html

Boeing will try to fly its troubled Starliner capsule back to Earth next week
Stephen Clark - 8/30/2024, 9:28 PM

(...) With Starliner leaving the space station next week, Dragon will become the lifeboat for Wilmore and Williams. If a fire, a collision with space junk, a medical emergency, or something else forces the crew to leave the complex, the Starliner astronauts will ride home on makeshift seats positioned under the four regular seats inside Dragon, where crews typically put cargo during launch and landing.

At least one of the Starliner astronauts would have to come home without a spacesuit to protect them if the cabin of the Dragon spacecraft depressurized on the descent. This has never happened on a Dragon mission before, but astronauts wear SpaceX-made pressure suits to mitigate the risk. The four astronauts who launched on Dragon have their suits, and NASA officials said a spare SpaceX suit already on the space station fit one of the Starliner astronauts, but they didn't identify which one. (...)
https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/08/boeing-will-try-to-fly-its-troubled-starliner-capsule-back-to-earth-next-week/

https://theconversation.com/stranded-boeing-starliner-astronauts-to-stay-six-more-months-in-space-what-this-means-for-the-future-of-commercial-spaceflight-237739

NASA prepares for Starliner return from ISS
Jeff Foust September 4, 2024


NASA is proceeding with plans for a Sept. 6 return of the Starliner spacecraft from the ISS without a crew on board. Credit: NASA

WASHINGTON — NASA is preparing for the uncrewed return to Earth of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft as the agency begins work on changes to the spacecraft to correct problems found during its test flight.

Agency officials confirmed at a Sept. 4 briefing plans for Starliner to undock from the station Sept. 6 at 6:04 p.m. Eastern. The spacecraft will quickly depart the vicinity of the ISS and perform a deorbit burn at 11:17 p.m. Eastern, setting up a landing of the Starliner crew capsule at White Sands Space Harbor, New Mexico, at 12:03 a.m. Eastern Sept. 7.

Steve Stich, NASA commercial crew program manager, said there were no technical issues being worked ahead of Starliner’s uncrewed departure to complete the Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission. Weather at White Sands was also forecast to be favorable, with a slight chance of rain the only concern. A backup landing opportunity is available Sept. 10.

Starliner’s departure from the station will be different from what was originally planned when it would have astronauts on board. The spacecraft will make a relatively rapid departure from the vicinity of the station, called a “breakout burn,” rather than a more gradual separation that would include a flyaround of the station.

The breakout burn allows for a faster departure from the station, said Anthony Vareha, the lead NASA space station flight director for the undocking, as well as accommodates the lack of crew on board. “Without the crew on board, able to take manual control if needed, there’s just a lot less variables that we need to account for when we do the breakout burn, and allows us to get the vehicle on a trajectory home that much sooner.”

Stich added that this trajectory puts “less stress” on reaction control system (RCS) thrusters, whose problems on approach to the station in June ultimately led to NASA’s decision to have the spacecraft return without a crew on board. “There’s a lot fewer thruster firings,” he said.

Once Starliner is away from the vicinity of the station, though, controllers to plan to test-fire several of the thrusters. Stich said engineers are still choosing what thrusters to test, but that they may involve some of the aft thrusters that experienced problems, including one that appeared to lose all thrust on approach to the station and did not recover in subsequent tests.

Those tests will be short pulses, lasting about 0.1 seconds, which will be enough to see how well they are performing. “The purpose of that is to continue to learn,” he said, collecting data in addition to tests performed while Starliner was docked to the station. “We really want to see how the thrusters perform and what the thrust levels exactly are after we undock and fire them for a little bit.”

The RCS thrusters will be used again to maintain attitude control during the deorbit burn, which is carried out by larger thrusters. The RCS thrusters will maneuver the spacecraft after that burn to separate the crew capsule from the service module and orient the capsule for reentry. (...)
https://spacenews.com/nasa-prepares-for-starliner-return-from-iss/

Starliner lands safely in New Mexico
September 7, 2024 William Harwood [SFN]


Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft rests in the desert of the White Sands Space Harbor following its return to Earth from the International Space Station. Image: Boeing

Leaving its crew behind in orbit, Boeing’s troubled Starliner spacecraft undocked from the International Space Station Friday and chalked up a successful unpiloted return to Earth, closing out a disappointing test flight with an on-target and apparently problem-free New Mexico touchdown.

Despite NASA’s concerns about earlier thruster problems and multiple helium leaks in the ship’s propulsion pressurization system, the Starliner had no trouble undocking and moving away from the station at 6:04 p.m. EDT and executing a critical 59-second deorbit braking maneuver at 11:17 p.m. to drop out of orbit.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2024/09/07/starliner-lands-safely-in-new-mexico/

[Orionid]

Wkrótce kolejne konkretne decyzje związane z następnym lotem Starlinera.
Chyba najważniejsze decyzje dotyczyć mogą w jakim wariancie taki lot się odbędzie i jak długo będzie trwało oczekiwanie na niego.
Jest to jedyna zapasowa możliwość USA do lotów załogowych na ISS.

Starliner returns to Earth uncrewed
Jeff Foust September 7, 2024


The Boeing Starliner crew capsule after landing at White Sands, New Mexico, to conclude the Crew Flight Test mission Sept. 7. Credit: Boeing

WASHINGTON — Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft successfully landed in New Mexico early Sept. 7, completing the Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission but without any crew on board. (...)

The return to Earth was not without issues. Steve Stich, NASA commercial crew program manager, said at the post-landing briefing that during the 58-second deorbit burn, two RCS thrusters got hotter than expected but did not fail. He said that controllers had changed software to keep it from turning off thrusters that got too hot during that burn, but didn’t know if the thrusters reached temperatures that would have triggered a shutdown without the software change.

One of 12 separate thrusters on the crew module also did not work in tests before reentry. Stich said those thrusters are a different design from those on the service module and it wasn’t clear why it failed. A redundant thruster, though, did operate normally and did not pose a problem during reentry.

“It was a bullseye landing,” he said, despite a glitch with a navigation computer system that had problem acquiring GPS signals after emerging from the reentry communications blackout. (...)

At the post-landing briefing, Stich said NASA has been discussing with Boeing next steps to address the thruster problems as well as helium leaks. That includes replacing a seal in the helium pressurization system with one that is both more compatible with the spacecraft’s hypergolic propellants as well as potentially larger. Other teams are looking at changing the thermal environment in “doghouses” on the service module that contain thrusters to reduce heating and modifications to how the thrusters are used.

“That’s the path to Starliner-1,” he said. However, he said later in the briefing that the agency had not decided if they would proceed directly to certification of Starliner and that first operational flight or require another test flight of some kind. (...)
https://spacenews.com/starliner-returns-to-earth-uncrewed/

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2024/09/cft-undocking/

Boeing losses on Starliner increase by $250 million
Jeff Foust October 23, 2024


Boeing's CST-100 Starliner approaching the ISS before docking on the Crew Flight Test mission June 6. Credit: NASA

WASHINGTON — Boeing is taking another charge against earnings of $250 million on its CST-100 Starliner commercial crew program as the company’s new leader vowed it will not walk away from troubled programs like it.

In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Oct. 23, Boeing disclosed it took the charge in its fiscal third quarter “primarily to reflect schedule delays and higher testing and certification costs.” This is in addition to a $125 million loss the company recorded in the second quarter.
https://spacenews.com/boeing-losses-on-starliner-increase-by-250-million/

Boeing reportedly considers selling off its space business
October 25, 2024


Image: Boeing

Kelly Ortberg, who took over as Boeing CEO in August, is weighing the sale of the company’s space division as part of an attempt to turn things around, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. The plans, which are reportedly at an early stage, could involve Boeing offloading the Starliner spacecraft and its projects supporting the International Space Station.

Boeing is facing a series of predicaments, including a fraud charge over 737 Max plane crashes and Starliner issues that left two astronauts at the ISS for months. Just this week, a Boeing-made satellite for Intelsat stopped working and fell apart suddenly after suffering an “anomaly.” (...)
https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/25/24279693/boeing-considers-selling-space-business-starliner