‘Go’ from all those responsible: Starliner to launch with crew on Saturday
On Saturday, Boeing's Starliner is due to fly into space with a crew for the first time. The helium leak that was discovered was not sealed.
(Image: NASA/Joel Kowsky)
All the relevant teams at NASA and Boeing have given their approval for the next launch attempt of the manned Starliner spacecraft on Saturday. The US space agency announced this and added that astronaut Suni Williams and astronaut Butch Wilmore have arrived back in Florida. The two have been in quarantine for over a month in preparation for the test flight. During this time, several tests were canceled, most recently due to a helium leak. According to those responsible, this still exists, but can be ignored because it has only occurred on one of four propulsion rockets. If the situation does not deteriorate significantly, the spacecraft will finally take off.
Leak risk not great enough for cancellation
The Starliner was actually supposed to take off with a crew for the first time on May 6, but a faulty oxygen valve put a spanner in the works. Although the problem was then rectified, another one occurred afterward. Due to a helium leak on the Starliner itself, the launch was then postponed and even suspended completely for a time. As it would take months to replace the seal where the leak occurred and at the same time posed no risk to flight safety, it was then decided to proceed with the flight anyway. It is now scheduled for Saturday at 18:25 CEST, with an alternative date on Sunday and two more next Wednesday and Thursday.
With the Starliner, Boeing has developed a spacecraft for manned space flights on behalf of NASA; the program ran parallel to the development of SpaceX's Crew Dragon for years. The first manned launch was originally planned for 2017, but this did not work out. Without a crew, the spacecraft took off for the first time in December 2019, but did not reach the International Space Station (ISS) as planned. A repeat mission was therefore scheduled, which was also delayed. The second launch was not successful until May 2022 when the ISS was reached. New technical problems then delayed the first flight with a crew once again. Meanwhile, SpaceX has long been routinely flying people to the ISS and back again.
The Starliner is now to be sent into space using an Atlas V rocket from the United Launch Alliance. The flight to the ISS is scheduled to take around 24 hours. Several tests are to be carried out during the flight. The Starliner will dock to the ISS autonomously. Wilmore and Williams will then join Expedition 71 for about a week and carry out various tasks, mainly to further check the spacecraft. After their departure, they will also temporarily steer the Starliner manually before it returns to Earth autonomously. The spacecraft will land at a US military site in the west of the USA, and there are several to choose from.
(mho)
