Latest news with #SteveStich
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Boeing Starliner Could Go To Space Again Before The End Of 2025
Despite the issues that left two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station, NASA isn't giving up on the Boeing Starliner quite yet. The space agency announced on Thursday its plans to certify the problem-plagued spacecraft this year and potentially send the capsule back to orbit before 2026. It might seem desperate, but maybe NASA doesn't want its transportation to the ISS reliant on someone who threatened to destroy the station because an astronaut hurt his feelings. NASA has been relatively transparent with the Starliner's woes. However, I'm still waiting for my accidental invitation to the engineers' group chat. The space agency stated that over 70 percent of flight observations and in-flight anomalies have been closed. It's an impressive amount of developmental progress, but NASA and Boeing still haven't fixed the thruster issues that forced the Starliner to return to Earth empty. Engineers realized during the Boeing Crew Test Flight that a Teflon coating was melting and blocking propellant flow through the thruster, which could cause a complete loss of control. However, there isn't another scheduled test flight for the spacecraft. Read more: There's A Relic Runway From America's Failed Supersonic Future Hiding In The Everglades The Starliner's propulsion systems will undergo a rigorous testing campaign at the White Sands Test Facility over the spring and summer as engineers attempt to tackle helium leaks and overheating problems. Steve Stich, the Commerical Crew Program manager, said in a release: "Once we get through these planned test campaigns, we will have a better idea of when we can go fly the next Boeing flight. We'll continue to work through certification toward the end of this year and then go figure out where Starliner fits best in the schedule for the International Space Station and its crew and cargo missions. It is likely to be in the timeframe of late this calendar year or early next year for the next Starliner flight." The Starliner program seemed on the ropes over the past few months. Once the Starliner returned to the surface without Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, reports emerged that Boeing was considering selling off its space division with Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin floated at a potential buyer. The situation didn't seem any better after the Starliner's planned ISS missions this year were handed over to SpaceX, which is partially why the program isn't ending. Boeing wants to operate as many missions as possible to recoup some of the $2 billion lost on the overbudget Starliner. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NASA Planning Another Test Flight by Boeing's Starliner
Despite a disastrous test launch that stranded two astronauts on board the International Space Station and caused it immense public embarrassment, Boeing hasn't given up on its Starliner spacecraft just yet. As SpaceNews reports, NASA commercial crew program manager Steve Stich revealed last week that the agency is expecting another test flight with the craft. Whether a crew will be on board this time around remains unclear. "What we'd like to do is that one flight and then get into a crew rotation flight," he said. "So, the next flight up would really test all the changes we're making to the vehicle, and then the next fight beyond that, we really need to get Boeing into a crew rotation. So, that's the strategy." Starliner was developed under the same commercial crew program as SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule, which has completed a dozen successful crewed trips to the ISS over the last six years. Boeing and NASA are hoping to address some of the technical issues that led to NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore having to watch the capsule return uncrewed last summer. Instead, the pair returned onboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft earlier this month — a nine-month delay. "The thing that we need to solidify and go test is the prop system in the service module," Stich said. "We need to make sure we can eliminate the helium leaks, eliminate the service module thruster issues that we had on docking." Even if the Starliner were to be launched without a crew, Stich said that the agency still wanted to have "all the systems in place that we could fly a crew with." It's a surprising development, given how much of a disaster Starliner has been for Boeing and NASA alike. The aerospace giant has lost over $2 billion on the project since it began. Roughly a month after the capsule returned empty-handed last year, rumors started swirling that Boeing was looking to sell off its space business entire. Boeing and NASA have remained strikingly tight-lipped since Starliner's return. But according to Stich, Boeing isn't ready to throw in the towel. "Boeing, all the way up to their new CEO, Kelly [Ortberg], has been committed to Starliner," he said last week, as quoted by SpaceNews. "I see a commitment from Boeing to continue the program." For now, NASA is buying itself some time until it has to decide what to do with Boeing's Starliner. The next scheduled crew rotation mission to the space station will be handled by SpaceX in July. It's still possible the agency may opt for Boeing's spacecraft for the mission after that. But considering last year's performance, NASA and Boeing will have to tread carefully. More on Starliner: You Will Never Guess What the Stranded Astronauts Got Paid for Their Trouble
