Shine on, Starliner! Aurora glows green as astronauts test spacecraft ahead of return to Earth June 22 (image, video)
- by Space.com
- Jun 17, 2024
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17 June 2024
NASA will hold a briefing tomorrow (June 18) to advise on progress for the extended mission.
Comments — Boeing's Starliner spacecraft will not fly private missions yet, officials say
Starliner and Dragon are the two commercial spacecraft NASA supported with funding in 2014 for astronaut missions to the ISS. At that time, both spacecraft were expected to fly no earlier than 2017. However, technical and funding problems delayed that goal. SpaceX sent its first astronauts aloft in 2020 after a successful uncrewed test mission, while Starliner waited longer.
Starliner's first uncrewed ISS test in 2019 failed to reach its destination due to computer glitches. Dozens of such issues and the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 delayed the second uncrewed test to 2022. That test went to plan, but new problems arose. For instance, there were complications with parachute-loading and flammable tape that delayed the launch of CFT to 2023.
CFT's launch was then delayed an extra month, from May 6 to June 5. This was due to various issues with the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, as well as a small helium leak in one of Starliner's thrusters. The leak, among other issues, affected one method of re-entering the Earth's atmosphere and required a careful re-evaluation before the ultimately successful launch.
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