Boeing discovered two leaks in the Starliner while astronauts were flying to the space station

It looks like the tension will continue until the last moment during the launch of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station.

Context: The ship was launched due to a helium leak. When the spacecraft’s first launch attempt was aborted on May 6 due to a problem with the Atlas V rocket, Boeing and NASA engineers checked the Starliner and discovered that a faulty rubber seal was leaking helium.

NASA decided that the leak did not pose an unacceptable risk to astronauts, so it decided to proceed with the launch without requiring Boeing to fix it, which would have delayed the mission by several months.

Boeing discovered two new leaks mid-flight. In a statement broadcast live, Brandon Burrows, a Boeing aerospace engineer, explained – while the astronauts slept – that ground crews were tracking two new helium leaks, separate from the original leak discovered before takeoff.

The initial leak is in the Port 2 helium manifold, which is connected to one of the Reaction Control System (RCS) engines, small engines responsible for adjusting the ship’s attitude. So there is a new leak in the port 2 manifold, which was valved off by Boeing to contain the loss of helium, and another leak in the port 1 manifold.

Starliner is still on its way to the International Space Station. Boeing says helium losses remain within safe parameters for operating the ship. He previously said Starliner could withstand up to four additional leaks beyond those detected on the ground.

So far, the amount of helium leaked is not toxic (on Earth it was 200 grams per day) and does not pose a danger to astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, Boeing says. The spacecraft continues its plan to dock with the International Space Station this Thursday at 16:15 UTC.

Image | POT

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