NASA delays return of Starliner and crew to Earth without date | The science

NASA and Boeing have ruled out the possibility of the Starliner spacecraft returning to landing in the next two weeks. In the meantime, they are spending additional time to continue analyzing faults discovered during docking with the International Space Station (ISS). On private Boeing’s first manned flight to the ISS, Captain Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams arrived in a capsule called Calypso, like Jacques Cousteau’s ship— June 6 to the station with the original plan to stay there for eight days. After successive delays, the cancellation of the return scheduled for tomorrow, the 26th, means that, barring an emergency, the two American astronauts will spend at least a month there.

In a statement released by the US Space Agency, NASA and Boeing explained the reasons for the delay, without giving a new date. First, it’s about making sure Starliner’s return doesn’t coincide with two spacewalks scheduled for this week and next; and it will also allow us to continue to analyze faults found in the propulsion systems upon arrival at the ISS. Steve Stich, director of NASA’s commercial human flight program, said: “We are taking our time and following our mission management team’s standard process. “We let the data guide our decisions about managing the small helium leaks in the system and engine performance that we observe during rendezvous and docking.”

Although there is still no return date, it will not occur until July 2, the date of the second of the planned spacewalks. From then on, “the ISS agenda is relatively clear until mid-August,” NASA explained in a statement, saying there is no rush to return the two astronauts to Earth because there are enough space stations on the space station. . In addition, the American agency clarifies that in the event of an emergency on the ISS, Wilmore and Williams have the right to occupy the Starliner ship and return at any time.

NASA expresses confidence in the capsule’s condition and compares the situation to that of Crew Dragon’s first crewed flight to the International Space Station. On this occasion, in 2020, the SpaceX vehicle also underwent a thorough check before scheduling its return after two months in orbit. However, there are important differences between both cases. For one thing, Starliner is only certified to dock with the ISS for 45 days, so its theoretical return date is July 21. Moreover, no incidents occurred at the premiere of Crew of the Dragon.

Starliner is a partially reusable spacecraft model, consisting of a capsule that can be used on 10 missions and a disposable service module that is launched into space using an Atlas V rocket. Reusability is already a reality. Calypso, the Starliner capsule from the first manned mission; He is flying into space for the second time, although he already had problems on a previous test flight, during which he was unable to dock with the ISS and was forced to return to Earth early.

SpaceX still has no competitors

Problems with helium fuel leaks caused numerous delays in this first manned Starliner mission. With this ship, Boeing intends to compete with SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, offering NASA a regular transport route into space, from the ISS to future stations in low Earth orbit. The first helium leak was discovered during preliminary tests of the Starliner launch, which took off a month later than originally planned. Upon arrival at the space station, it failed to dock on the first attempt due to unexpected behavior of the five engines, and it was later discovered that there were five helium leaks—the maximum expected—and a faulty valve in the service module. NASA explained that despite the leaks, there is enough fuel for return and a valve to replace the faulty one.

However, even if that mission is successful, problems and delays cast doubt on when Starliner will be able to reach its next milestone: certification for six-month space missions. Without this approval, which was scheduled for 2025, Boeing’s commercial spacecraft will not be able to carry out promised scheduled flights. Its competitor, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, already has this space license as of 2020; and he achieved it on the first try.

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