Boeing's Starliner Piloted Flight Delayed to July 21
Date
3/30/2023 4:58:00 AM
(MENAFN) The first piloted flight of Boeing's Starliner astronaut ferry ship, which was initially scheduled to launch in late April, has been postponed to no earlier than July 21, officials announced on Wednesday. The delay is to allow for more time to close out paperwork and conduct an extra test of the spacecraft's parachute deploy system. The Crew Flight Test mission will carry two veteran astronauts, Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita Williams, to the International Space Station to verify the ship's readiness to begin regular service ferrying crews to and from the lab complex, alternating with SpaceX's already operational Crew Dragon.
According to NASA Commercial Crew Program manager Steve Stich, the Starliner spacecraft is in excellent condition, and there is nothing wrong with its parachute system. However, reviewing the paperwork required to officially clear the spacecraft for flight, along with an additional ground test, and fitting the flight into a busy East Coast launch schedule, has pushed the long-awaited mission from spring to the mid-summer timeframe.
Stich explained that most of the work would be completed in April for the flight, but one area extending into the May timeframe deals with certification products for the parachute system. Thus, after considering the various factors, including threading the needle at the Space Force Eastern Range and manifest considerations for ISS, NASA officials decided that the best launch attempt would be no earlier than July 21.
Boeing and SpaceX were awarded contracts in 2014 to build commercial crew ships that could carry NASA and partner agency astronauts to and from the space station. Under an initial USD2.6 billion contract, SpaceX designed a crewed version of its Dragon cargo ship that would ride into orbit atop the company's Falcon 9 rocket. Boeing designed its own capsule - Starliner - under a USD4.2 billion contract, relying on United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rockets for the trip to orbit.
After a successful unpiloted test flight, SpaceX launched a two-man crew to the space station in May 2020. The company has now launched nine piloted Crew Dragon missions, seven for NASA and two privately funded flights, ending the nation's sole reliance on Russian Soyuz spacecraft for access to low-Earth orbit. This delay is the latest in a series of setbacks for Boeing's Starliner program, which is running years behind schedule.
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