A satellite image shows an overview of the International Space Station with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, June 7, 2024.
Maxar Technologies | Via Reuters
BoeingThe Starliner capsule “Calypso” will stay on the International Space Station twice as long as originally planned, NASA announced on Friday.
This developmental nature of the mission, known as Boeing’s Crew Flight Test, is evident as the company and NASA conduct a series of tests on the Starliner while it is docked with the ISS. The mission is the first time Starliner has had a crew on board. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will fly the spacecraft back to Earth next week.
Before the June 5 launch, Boeing and NASA planned for the Starliner to be in space for nine days.
But Calypso’s mission is now scheduled to return to Earth on June 22, leaving the ISS at 11:42 p.m. ET on June 21 before landing about six and a half hours later, at 6:26 a.m. ET. This means that the Starliner crew’s flight test for further spacecraft testing will now take at least 17 days, about twice as long as originally planned.
According to NASA, these tests include operating the capsule hatch, firing seven engines and checking cabin air temperature while program managers and astronauts “complete departure planning and operations.”
The agency also noted that Starliner would “repeat some ‘safe harbor’ tests,” but did not explain why this was necessary. A safe haven test is when astronauts on the ISS use a spacecraft as a shelter in an emergency. NASA said “the spacecraft remains cleared for emergency crew repatriation scenarios under the rules of flight,” citing the possible scenario of an unexpected evacuation of the astronauts from the ISS.
After releasing an update on Friday, NASA postponed CNBC’s request for further clarification until a news conference to be held on Tuesday before the scheduled departure.
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The crew flight test represents a final major step before NASA certifies Boeing to fly crew members on operational, six-month missions. However, similar to the previous two space flights that were canceled, Starliner encounters several problems during the mission.
Before launch, a single leak was detected in Calypso’s helium propulsion system. The leak was considered stable and did not pose a threat to the safety of the capsule, so the launch went forward and the Starliner was successfully transported to the ISS.
However, four more helium leaks have occurred since the spacecraft docked with the ISS. NASA wrote earlier this week that Calypso “has sufficient headroom to support the return trip” based on the current rate of five leaks and with 10 times the required helium capacity in its tanks.
While Boeing was guiding the Starliner to dock, another problem emerged with the spacecraft’s propulsion system, which NASA said was occurring independently of the helium leaks. Starliner has 28 jets called RCS (Reaction Control System) engines that help the spacecraft make small movements in orbit.
Five of the 28 engines were out of service, but after troubleshooting, Boeing restored four of the Starliner’s defective jets and NASA allowed the spacecraft to dock.
NASA said Friday that it would conduct a hot-fire test before undocking, with seven of the eight engines mounted near the spacecraft’s tail. Hot fires are very short bursts of the engines, where Boeing attempts to evaluate the performance of the engines. NASA has not indicated whether any of the seven engines being tested are consistent with the five engines that stopped operating before docking.
Boeing Vice President Mark Nappi said in a statement that despite doubling the mission duration, “we still have plenty of headroom and time on station.”
Starliner was once considered a competitor to SpaceX’s Dragon, which has made 12 crewed flights to the ISS in the last four years. But various setbacks and delays have increasingly pushed Starliner into a backup position for NASA, as the agency plans to let SpaceX and Boeing take turns flying astronauts.
Boeing’s Starliner capsule is seen approaching the International Space Station on June 6, 2024 with two NASA astronauts on board.
NASA television
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the duration of the flight test.
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2024-06-14 19:14:12
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