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NASA and Boeing's crewed Starliner launch, CFT, which was due for later this week, has suffered from another delay, this time from an anomaly that teams discovered on the Starliner spacecraft. The rocket was due to lift off earlier this month amidst much fanfare by NASA, ULA and Boeing as it marked the first time the trio have worked together for a crewed space mission.
However, Starliner's manufacturer Boeing shared earlier today that the ship will now launch no earlier than on May 21st due to a fault with a tiny component that works with its engines.
Boeing Delays Starliner Launch Due To Propellant Leak On Spacecraft
Ahead of the Starliner's first launch attempt earlier this month, teams at NASA, ULA, and Boeing were quite optimistic about the flight. Boeing had spent weeks fueling the spacecraft for its maiden crewed launch, after fixing multiple issues that had led to the scrubs of earlier launches.
However, the launch scrub itself came after ULA decided to remove the two NASA astronauts from the ship because of a faulty valve. Later in the day, the firm explained that its launch countdown and monitoring system required the crew to be outside the spaceship in case a valve had to be tested.
This valve led to the scrub and then a delay after it as ULA decided to replace it. Following the replacement, Starliner was due to launch later this week, but Boeing's fresh announcement has now set the launch date to May 21st.
The delay means that NASA, Boeing, and ULA all have to wait for Starliner's first crewed spaceflight. For Boeing and ULA, this is their first crewed mission, and for NASA, it is the first time since the Shuttle era that the space agency is sending astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) on crewed and launch vehicles operated by companies other than SpaceX.
Unlike SpaceX's Crew Dragon, which uses the firm's Falcon 9 rocket for the ascent portion of its journey, Starliner relies on ULA's Atlas V. This means that two teams are responsible for guiding the rocket and then the ship for its pre docking journey. Boeing plans to fly regular missions to the ISS alongside SpaceX, and through Starliner, NASA is eager to build launch redundancy into its Commercial Crew Program (CCP).
As for the propellant leak which has caused the latest Starliner delay, Boeing shared that it has detected a Helium leak on one of Starliner's engines. These engines, called reaction control thrusters, maneuver the ship while it docks to the space station.
According to Boeing,"a flange on a single reaction control system thruster" is being looked at for a helium leak, and as part of pre launch tests, the firm aims tol test the "propulsion system up to flight pressurization just as it does prior to launch, and then allow the helium system to vent naturally to validate existing data and strengthen flight rationale."
NASA astronauts Butch Willmore and Suni Williams are currently in the mandatory pre launch quarantine period. A successful CFT will enable Boeing to take regular crewed flights to the ISS, as it joins SpaceX's Crew Dragon as a U.S.-based crewed space transportation spacecraft.
About the author: Ramish is a seasoned technology writer and editor with more than a decade of experience. He specializes in semiconductor fabrication and market analysis. With a background in finance and supply chain management - via his bachelors in Finance and a micromasters in supply chain management from MIT - Ramish combines financial rigor with deep industry insight to deliver accurate and authoritative coverage.
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