After an questionable docking on the International Space Station last week, Boeing managed to transport a pair of NASA astronauts to the orbital laboratory. The Starliner’s stressful saga continues as the crew cabin in its service pod experiences more leaks. NASA is currently evaluating its ability to return the duo back to Earth.
In an update shared Monday by NASA exposed that Starliner teams are assessing the impact five helium leaks would have on the rest of the mission. “While the Starliner is docked, all lines are closed during normal mission operations to prevent the loss of helium from the tanks,” the space agency wrote.
If you were watching, they were three escapes on the Starliner spaceship when we last checked. Starliner teams identified two new leaks on the spacecraft after its June 5 launch in addition a helium leak that was detected before takeoff. The team took some time to evaluate the problem before launching the capsule, but in the end, Boeing and NASA decided to continue flying the crew on the leaky Starliner spacecraft without fixing the problem.
The spacecraft consists of a reusable crew capsule and a replaceable service module. Helium is used in spacecraft thruster systems to allow the thrusters to burn without being flammable or toxic. “We’re going to handle this particular leak if the number of leaks increased even up to 100 times,” said Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager, during a press conference before the Starliner launch.
Well, here we go. Despite the leaks suggesting a larger problem with the Starliner’s propulsion system, NASA remains confident in its commercial partner and downplayed the spacecraft’s anomalies. “Engineers evaluated the helium supply based on the current leak rate and determined that the Starliner has enough reserve to support a return trip from the station,” NASA wrote in its update. “Only seven hours of free flight are required to perform a normal end of mission, and the Starliner currently has enough helium in its tanks for 70 hours of free flight after disconnection.”
“Normal end of mission” is key here because the Starliner had trouble docking with the ISS. Starliner missed its first docking opportunity at 12:15 p.m. ET due to technical issues, prompting NASA to target another docking window an hour later. Five of the spacecraft’s thrusters failed during its approach, and four were subsequently restored. The capsule finally docked with the ISS at 1:34 PM ET on June 6.
While parked outside the ISS, engineers are also evaluating the RCS oxidizer isolation valve in the service module, which is not closing properly, according to a recent NASA update. The RCS, or Reaction Control System, uses the nozzles to control position and steering, while the oxidizer isolation valve regulates the flow of oxidizer necessary to burn the fuel in the nozzles. Mission managers continue to work on a reentry plan that includes an assessment of flight rationale, fault tolerance, and potential operational mitigations for the remainder of the flight,” the space agency wrote.
Starliner is scheduled to detach from the orbiting space station on June 18 at the earliest Crew flight test is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and is designed to transport crew and cargo to and from the International Space Station (ISS). 4.3 billion dollars contract with the space agency. Another commercial partner of NASA, SpaceX, has sent eight crews to the space station so far.
The first crewed flight of the spacecraft was supposed to begin regular trips to the ISS, but NASA may require the Starliner to undergo some repairs before approving the capsule for normal operations.
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