Science
Boeing Starliner ready to depart space station unmanned
The troubled spacecraft is scheduled to undock on Friday for a trip back to Earth while two NASA astronauts will stay in orbit.
Updated 2024-Sep-28 05:34
During a recent press conference NASA chief Bill Nelson reported that Kelly Ortberg Boeing s new CEO had confirmed that Boeing would persist with developing the Starliner spacecraft despite facing significant financial implications.
The contract Boeing signed with NASA in 2014 worth $4. 2 billion established specific payments for achieving milestones such as certification and payment is only made upon successful completion of these targets.
In contrast to typical cost plus contracts Boeing bears the cost of any overruns and delays in the deal with the agency.
Boeing has already accounted for $1. 6 billion in costs for the Starliner program. The takeoff involves brief bursts of thrusters that are less prone to generating heat thought to be the reason behind the decreased functionality of some of the 28 small thrusters last June.
The spacecraft also encountered helium leaks which is an unreactive gas utilized to propel propellant.
However it still contains excess helium for the journey back. The crucial action involves activating bigger thrusters to make the spacecraft descend from orbit.
Leaving behind the two NASA astronauts it took to the International Space Station three months ago Boeing’s troubled Starliner spacecraft is set to begin its return to Earth on Friday evening.
Six hours after it undocks from the station it is to parachute to a landing at the White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.
If bad weather or technical issues cause a delay Starliner’s return could happen on Sept. 10 Sept.
14 or Sept. 18. After lengthy analysis and ground tests NASA officials said they still did not fully understand the cause of the propulsion system problems that arose as Starliner approached the space station in June.
Both Boeing and NASA officials have said that they expect that the trip back will be uneventful for the empty Starliner.
And they maintain that the spacecraft could have probably still brought back safely the two NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore whose stays on the space station have been extended.
We have confidence in the vehicle Steve Stich the manager of the commercial crew program at NASA said during a news conference on Wednesday.
He noted that Starliner had successfully landed during earlier test flights with no crew. We’ve had two good landings with Starliner so far and we’re expecting another one Friday Mr.Stich said. Even so lingering unease led officials to choose what they considered to be the safer option: to keep Ms.Williams and Mr. Wilmore on the space station for another five months and have them return in February on the Crew Dragon a spacecraft built by SpaceX a competitor founded by Elon Musk.
Dana Weigel the program manager for the space station at NASA said Ms. Williams and Mr. Wilmore had undergone training for a longer mission including performing spacewalks and operating the robotic arm.
We had them well prepared to move into this role Ms. Weigel said. After Starliner undocks it will fire its thrusters to back away and then move above the space station.
The maneuver was changed from what would have been used had the astronauts been aboard. It’s a quicker way away from station way less stress on the thrusters Mr.Stich said.
The smaller thrusters which experienced issues during docking are utilized to maintain the spacecraft s proper orientation.
The larger thrusters have not encountered any issues yet but the smaller ones can serve as a backup for deorbiting if needed.
The future of the Starliner program is somewhat unclear following a successful landing. The initial flight in June had astronauts on board marking the final stage in certifying Starliner for yearly trips to the space station.
Another crewed flight test could be requested by NASA from Boeing. The company decided to conduct another flight test without a crew.
