In this handout photo provided by NASA, an Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft is launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla. on May 19, 2022. This was the second test flight of the Starliner that later docked at the International Space Station.
NASA via Getty Images
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NASA via Getty Images
In this handout photo provided by NASA, an Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft is launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla. on May 19, 2022. This was the second test flight of the Starliner that later docked at the International Space Station.
NASA via Getty Images
Boeing has indefinitely delayed next month’s launch Starliner Capsules — which should have carried the first humans — after engineers discovered some disturbing problems.
These include the use of flammable “hundreds of feet” tape and defects with the spacecraft’s parachute system. Boeing made an announcement late Thursday at a hasty press conference with NASA officials.
This is the latest setback for Boeing, which has been plagued by years of development delays and has yet to launch its first crewed Starliner mission.
After the shuttle was decommissioned in 2011, NASA needed a vehicle to get people to and from the International Space Station. In 2014, NASA awarded Boeing more than $4 billion under Commercial Crew Program to build capsules. At the same time, NASA also chose SpaceX to build and design a competitive system that can sent humans into space ten times (including seven missions for NASA).
Starliner has flown twice. The first mission, in 2019, not achieved ISS after the onboard clock malfunctioned. The second test flight, in 2022, docked at the ISS and was deemed a success. Boeing has been working towards a July 21 launch to send two NASA astronauts to the ISS. This mission has been delayed many times and this latest setback is very disturbing.
Just weeks before the launch test, Boeing regulators determined that the adhesive tape used to wrap and secure the hundreds of yards of tape inside the capsule could be flammable under certain circumstances.
In addition, the lines connecting the capsule to its trio of parachutes are not as durable as Boeing believes. During the landing, it is possible that some lines were broken – potentially endangering the crew. The Starliner is designed to land with just two parachutes. But if one parachute breaks down – others can too.
For all of these reasons, Boeing vice president and Starliner program manager, Mark Nappi, told reporters that the company is shutting down operations, “Safety is always our top priority and the that motivated this decision.” The date of the future test flight is still unknown.
Nappi said it will take the next few weeks to investigate the design issues and come up with possible solutions. For now, Boeing says it is fully committed to the program and has no plans to stop developing the Starliner, despite being years behind schedule.
