Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft carried astronauts safely to the space station after five of its engines failed

Three helium leaks and the failure of five RCS boosters have added to the tension of Starliner’s test flight to the International Space Station.

The Boeing Starliner spacecraft carried astronauts to the International Space Station for the first time. NASA employees Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are about to open the hatch to greet the Expedition 71 crew after testing the spacecraft’s manual controls.

Tense trip. Starliner lifted off aboard a ULA Atlas V rocket on Wednesday at 14:52 UTC. After the first unsuccessful attempt, the ship managed to dock at one of the space station ports at 17:34 UTC.

Wilmore and Williams, the two astronauts, were never in danger, but there were several moments of tension during the flight, as evidenced by the faces in the control center.

Three helium leaks. Starliner launched with a small helium leak discovered in early May. Both Boeing and NASA decided that this did not pose any risk to the mission, since up to five similar leaks could occur.

A few hours after launch, as the astronauts were getting ready to go to bed, Boeing discovered two new helium leaks on Starliner. In particular, the reaction control system (RCS) manifolds contain small thrusters that allow the ship’s orientation to be adjusted.

Five engines failed. As a solution to the leak problem, the three helium collectors were closed during the flight while the astronauts slept. They were reopened before docking with the International Space Station to control the RCS.

However, as Starliner began approaching the space station, five RCS boosters failed. Mission engineers managed to reactivate four engines while the crew manually piloted the spacecraft 200 meters from the station, but they missed the first docking window.

The first attempt failed, then success. After waiting about an hour, the Starliner crew was able to dock with the International Space Station using the second window. The spacecraft’s resiliency allowed the docking to proceed smoothly.

After docking, all Starliner manifolds were closed again for safety reasons, although this had already been planned. The opening of the hatch and the welcoming ceremony for the two astronauts will take place after 19:20 UTC. Wilmore and Williams will spend eight to 10 days on the station before returning to Earth.

Images | POT

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