NASA and Boeing Technicians Begin Testing Starliner Fuel in ISS-Similar Conditions

Starting this week, NASA and Boeing technical teams will test the propellant under conditions similar to those experienced by Starliner after launch on its way to the International Space Station (ISS), the North American aircraft manufacturer said. The testing will involve replicating the crew flight test phase from launch to docking. Then, tests will be conducted to replicate what the engines will experience from undocking to landing.

“We really want to understand what the fuel is and how we use it in flight,” said Dan Niedermayer, Boeing’s lead fuel test engineer.We will learn a lot from these engine firings that will be useful for the rest of the manned flight testing. and future missions.”

Teams working at the console of NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston and Boeing’s Mission Control Center at Kennedy Space Center worked with the crew to check out several spacecraft systems, including repressurizing the fuel-based manifolds. They also performed mission data downloads (MDLs), which are files for the spacecraft’s computer that provide insight into the current states of relative and inertial navigation, Earth rotation, the thermal conditions of the engines used during Starliner’s reentry, and more.

«We updated some onboard products to support seamless docking in July. and in the coming periods of higher positive beta,” said Chloe Mehring, the Starliner mission director who coordinated the ignition efforts with Wilmore and Williams. “Starliner is in good health, and there are no anomalies detected on the spacecraft.”

Additional operational checkout (OCC) capabilities added during Tuesday’s testing included tablet and procedure updates. The camera and tablet batteries were also charged while the spacecraft was fully powered up.

Also working with the crew at the console was Canadian Space Agency astronaut Josh Cutrick, the capsule communicator (CAPCOM) who will fly on Starliner-1 after the CFT. Near the end of the burn, Cutrick informed the crew that the MDL transmission had been successful and that all software updates have been configured correctly.

Test crew astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will provide an update on their mission and time on the ISS during a press conference next Wednesday.