The launch of Boeing’s Starliner Crew Capsule’s next test flight was delayed before April 2, when workers replaced spacecraft avionics units damaged in a power explosion during testing.
Boeing’s second orbital flight test, or TFT-2, mission test confirms that the Starliner spacecraft is preparing to take astronauts into orbit for the first time later this year.
In a statement on February 17, Boeing and NASA said the OFT-2 mission was launched ahead of time from March 25 to April 2. The eight-day delay was due to an increase in power during the final checkout in the spacecraft. Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Boeing said technicians had replaced avionics units affected by the power outage. “We continue to ensure the safety of the production of our spacecraft and we are addressing any emerging issues in a timely manner.”
NASA said the power increase was caused by a “ground support equipment configuration issue.”
Last month, teams at the Kennedy Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility mated the Starliner spacecraft’s crew module and service module. The entire spacecraft was recently moved to a different area of the facility to receive a load of hazardous propellants.
Starliner’s thrusters use a toxic mixture of hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide for in-space tactics. The abortion engines of the capsule use an equally powerful combination of propellants.
Boeing said it is ready for mission rehearsals using Starliner flight hardware and flight software software. The launch of the end-to-end test will mimic the docking and stlinliner missions from the International Space Station, and rehearsal Boeing did not demonstrate before Stirliner’s first orbital test flight in 2019.
The OFT-2 mission is a repeat of Boeing’s T-FT-1 test flight in December 2019. Software problems on the TFT-1 mission prevented the Starliner spacecraft from landing with the Spain station, forcing a premature landing under a parachute on White Sands Space Harbor, New Mexico.
“NASA has also continued to work with Boeing to prepare for this first mission in 2021,” Steve Steich, manager of NASA’s commercial crew program, said in a statement. “The Boeing and NASA teamwork is exceptional in all aspects of flight preparation, including final certification, crisis analysis, and software testing. This unmanned flight test of the International Space Station, despite being an important target on the way to the first Starliner crew mission planned later this year, will fly when we are ready. “
Engineers have examined the %% recommendations identified by a joint NASA and Boeing review team that investigated problems caused by the OFT-1 mission.
“We appreciate the significant work that NASA has done prior to its launch,” said John Walmer, Boeing’s Starliner’s vice president and program manager. “We are fully engaged in the agency’s review process to ensure confidence in the spacecraft.”
Boeing said earlier this month that engineers had met the “requirements” of the Starliner software software code, setting a final rehearsal phase from start to finish.
The Starliner spacecraft is one of two new crew capsules designed to take passengers to and from the space station. SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Capsule flew with astronauts for the first time last May, but Boeing’s software software problems delayed the Starliner program by more than a year.
NASA signed an agreement with Boeing and SpaceX to develop new crew capsules, ending US dependence on Russian Soyuz spacecraft for astronaut transport services.
Assuming that the week-long T-FAT-3 test flight is going well, Boeing hopes that Starliner’s first crew flight test with a crew of three will begin in September. The three astronauts will dock with the space station, where they are expected to spend a week or two before returning to Earth.
After the crew flight test, NASA will certify the Starliner to fly on an operational crew rotation mission to the space station. Boeing has contracts with NASA for at least six of them, each holding four astronauts and lasting seven months.
Once the Starliner spacecraft is refueled, Boeing will transfer the capsule to the United Launch Alliance’s vertical integration facility at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The cranes there will hover the spacecraft on top of its Atlas 5 launch vehicle next month, a few weeks before the April 2 launch date.
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