Starliner spacecraft will be ready to take off in March

Boeing's "Starliner" spacecraft, which is being manufactured by Boeing, is expected to be ready for its first manned flight to the International Space Station in March, after facing several issues, the company reported on Monday, without specifying a launch date.

Mark Nappi, the Starliner program manager at Boeing, stated in a press conference, "At the moment, we expect to be ready in early March," adding, "This does not mean that the beginning of March is the launch date for the spacecraft."

He indicated that the launch date is supposed to be determined based on the capabilities of the United Launch Alliance (ULA), the industrial group that provides the rocket carrying the spacecraft, and the available spots at the International Space Station.

Since 2020, SpaceX's vehicles have been responsible for transporting NASA astronauts to the International Space Station, but NASA expresses a desire for a second spacecraft provider.

After a failed attempt in 2019, Boeing's capsule successfully reached the International Space Station in May, on an uncrewed mission.

The company currently needs to conduct a final test through a manned flight on Starliner to certify it and initiate its operational flights.

Boeing had initially hoped to execute this manned flight in 2022 before undergoing several postponements.

The most recent delay occurred in June due to two separate issues.

The first issue concerns the parachutes used to slow down the capsule during its return to Earth, as it was discovered that a part of the connection between the capsule and the parachute was more fragile than expected.

After resolving this problem, a test will be launched in November, and its success will be necessary to advance in the program.

The second issue is related to the adhesive tape used to wrap the electrical cables inside the capsule. It was found that this tape is flammable and could pose a risk in case of a malfunction under specific conditions.

A significant portion of the tape has been removed, and the removal process is still ongoing. Nappi said, "In some corners where tape removal was challenging, we used other techniques such as adding a protective layer."

Joel Montalbano, NASA's program manager, stated on Monday that "the Starliner vehicle remains a top priority for the space station program."

The first manned flight of the capsule will carry NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sonny Williams to the International Space Station, where their mission is expected to last about a week.

The capsule will be launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AFP