Boeing Delays Starliner Spacecraft Launch Due to Safety Concerns

A Boeing official said Thursday that the company was “backing away” from an attempted July 21 launch of the Starliner spacecraft to focus on newly discovered problems with the vehicle.

Mark Nappi, vice president and program director for Starliner, said two problems were discovered on two spacecraft before Memorial Day weekend and the company spent the holiday investigating them. After internal discussions involving Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun, the company decided to postpone the test flight that would have carried NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore to the International Space Station.

“Safety has always been our top priority, and this is the driving force behind this decision,” Nabi said in a conference call with reporters.

Two problems

The problem appeared so serious that it was discovered weeks before Starliner was due to launch on an Atlas V rocket. The first involved “soft ties” in the line running from the Starliner to its chute. Boeing found that it was not as strong as previously thought.

During normal flight, this subpar connection wouldn’t be a problem. But the Starliner’s parachute system is designed for a safe crew landing if one of the three parachutes fails. However, because the failure load limit is lower with these soft ties, if one parachute fails, the line between the spacecraft and the remaining parachutes may break due to the added stress.

The second problem involved P-213 glass cloth tape wrapped around the jumper wires throughout the vehicle. These wires are everywhere, and the Prophet says there are hundreds of feet of these jumper wires. The tape is meant to protect the wires from nicks. However, during recent tests it was found that under certain favorable flight conditions, this tape is flammable.

Uncertain slip

In 2014, NASA selected two companies, Boeing and SpaceX, to develop a crew transportation system for astronauts to travel to the space station. SpaceX completed its first human flight in 2020 and has since flown nine additional manned missions. Boeing has flown two unmanned Starliner test flights so far and aims to complete its test flights with astronauts this summer.

It is now unclear when the “crew test flight” will take place. Nabi said it was “possible” the mission could fly in 2023, but he would not give a date. “I certainly don’t want to commit to any date or timeframe,” he said.

Boeing will spend the next several weeks diving deeper into these issues and charting a way forward to address these and other issues. For example, Nappi also said that as Boeing was preparing to load propellant onto the Starliner ahead of the July flight, it encountered another viscous valve. Fuses have been an ongoing problem with the Starliner spacecraft.

Independent review?

In all likelihood, Starliner will see another major delay in this test flight. These new issues are likely to increase outside observers’ concerns about Boeing’s safety culture. last weekNASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Committee urged NASA to bring in independent experts to evaluate the Starliner’s feasibility.

“Given the many remaining challenges to certifying the Starliner, we strongly encourage NASA to step back and take a close look at the remaining work regarding CFT flights,” said Patricia Sanders, chair of the committee, May 25. He believes NASA should bring in an independent team, such as NASA’s Engineering and Safety Team, “to take an in-depth look at the items to be covered.”

That before The latest issue has emerged. No doubt safety experts will be concerned how Boeing and NASA did not spot this problem until the final weeks before the flight.

The Commercial Crew Program is funded through flat rate contracts. Boeing received a $4.2 billion award from NASA in 2014, but due to constant delays – originally, SpaceX’s Starliner and Crew Dragon were supposed to fly in 2017 – Boeing has racked up $900 million worth of revenue. Nappi said Thursday that it was too early to say whether the issue would result in additional financial costs for the program.

Questions have been raised about whether Boeing will remain committed to the already loss-making Starliner program. The company has been contracted to fly six NASA missions after certification of the Starliner vehicle, which will not happen until after a manned flight test. Boeing has received as much as $4.2 billion from NASA in important gifts, so Boeing may have to return some of that money if it doesn’t fly astronauts for NASA. But the cost of flying the mission could be greater than any financing Boeing has to pay NASA.

Asked if Boeing officials were discussing withdrawing from the Commercial Crew Program, Nappi replied, “The discussions are not serious about that.”