Friday night marked the end of Boeing’s first human mission, with an empty capsule landing and two NASA test pilots remaining in orbit until next year because NASA deemed their return to be too dangerous.
Starliner descended automatically through the darkness of the desert six hours after leaving the International Space Station and parachuted into the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
It was a quiet conclusion to a story that had started with Boeing’s long-awaited crew debut launch in June and then spiraled out of control due to thruster problems and helium leaks. Engineers were unable to comprehend the capsule’s issues for months, which cast doubt on Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams’ return.
NASA disagreed and scheduled a mission with SpaceX, despite Boeing’s insistence following thorough testing that it was safe to transport the two home on Starliner. They will be up there until February, more than eight months after taking off on what should have been a brief journey, since their SpaceX flight won’t launch until the end of this month.
By mid-June, a week after launching in it, Wilmore and Williams ought to have flown Starliner back to Earth. However, a series of engine issues and helium leaks hampered their journey to the space station, and NASA finally determined it was too dangerous to send them back on Starliner.
Thus, equipped with new software, the fully automated capsule departed, taking with it some outdated station gear as well as its empty seats and blue spacesuits.
As the white and blue-trimmed capsule undocked from the space station 260 miles (420 km) over China and vanished into the dark void, Williams radioed, “She’s on her way home.”
Williams remained up long to watch the outcome of everything. “Very impressive, a solid landing,” stated Boeing’s Mission Control.
Cheers were raised when the capsule was seen landing as a white streak by cameras on the space station and two NASA aircraft.
Though there were a few problems during reentry, including as further rocket problems, Starliner accomplished a “bull’s-eye landing,” according to Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager.
“I think we made the right decision not to have Butch and Suni on board,” Stich stated at an early Saturday press conference, notwithstanding the safe return. We’re all pleased with the successful landing. However, a part of each of us wishes that everything had gone according to our original plans.
Boeing refrained from attending the news briefing in Houston. However, Ted Colbert and Kay Sears, two of the company’s top space and defence officials, informed staff members in a note that they supported NASA’s decision.
The executives stated, “We support NASA’s decision for Starliner and are proud of how our team and spacecraft performed, even though this may not have been how we originally envisioned the test flight concluding.”
NASA Calls SpaceX
After several delays and mishaps, Starliner’s crew demo came to an end. NASA contracted with Boeing and SpaceX to provide orbital taxi service after the space shuttles were retired more than ten years ago. In 2019, Boeing faced so many issues with its maiden solo test flight that it had to do it again. A $1 billion repair charge accompanied the even more problems discovered during the 2022 doover.
This month’s crew ferry flight by SpaceX will mark the company’s tenth flight for NASA since 2020. Wilmore and Williams have two seats allocated for the return part of the half-year trip, thus only two astronauts will embark aboard the Dragon capsule.
Wilmore and Williams, two former Navy captains and seasoned astronauts, expected challenges during the test mission. They have remained occupied in space, contributing to experiments and repairs. Along with the other seven people on board, the two are now full-time members of the station crew.
Starliner’s propulsion system began leaking helium even before the two took off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on June 5. Upon liftoff, four more leaks appeared, despite the first one being tiny and deemed isolated. Five thrusters then failed. Despite finding four of the thrusters, NASA was concerned that more faults may prevent the capsule from descending from orbit.
After conducting a number of thruster tests during the summer, both in space and on Earth, Boeing was certain that its spacecraft could return the crew safely. However, NASA chose SpaceX since it could not settle with the thruster problem.
Assessment on Starliner
After undocking, flight controllers fired the capsule’s thrusters one more time for testing; one of them did not ignite. Engineers believe that as the thrusters fire more frequently, their temperature rises and protective seals expand, blocking the propellant’s flow. None of the pieces will be available for inspection because the thruster portion was removed right before reentry.
In a few weeks, Starliner will be returned to NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre, where the assessments will take place.
NASA representatives emphasised that the space agency is still dedicated to having two rival American enterprises transport humans. Until the space station is abandoned in 2030, just before its destructive reentry, SpaceX and Boeing plan to alternately send people, one every year. NASA reports that although Boeing doesn’t have much time to catch up, the corporation plans to move forward with Starliner.
Following the landing, Stich stated that it is premature to determine the date of the next Starliner astronaut flight.
“Determining the next course of action will require some time,” he told AP.
NASA Sets Coverage for Starliner News Conference and Return to Earth
https://www.vornews.com/nasa-sets-coverage-for-starliner-news/
