Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft has been docked with the International Space Station (ISS) for nearly a month, with NASA and its commercial partner repeatedly delaying the departure of the crew aboard the capsule. Despite endless delays to the Starliner’s return flight, NASA and Boeing insist the spacecraft is fully operational, capable of returning to Earth at any time, and that the two astronauts on board are not stranded in space.
Boeing officials described the coverage of the mission so far as “pretty painful” and emphasized that it is a test mission whose main purpose is to collect as much data as possible. That may be true. But there have been troubling signs that things may not be as smooth sailing as NASA and Boeing claim.
Given all the additional testing the spacecraft had to undergo while attached to the ISS, it’s also unclear how the program will continue once the test flight is over. The first crewed flight of the Starliner revealed several issues with the spacecraft that needed to be addressed. Will NASA require Boeing to spend more time repairing its capsule, and will a second test flight be necessary? These are issues that NASA and its partner have yet to address amid a wave of bad press and public ridicule.
Boeing Starliner capsule launched June 5 on the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the ISS. The the spacecraft was having trouble docking to the space station after five of the spacecraft’s thrusters failed during approach. The Starliner has also evolved five helium escapesone of which was identified prior to its launch.
The mission was originally scheduled to last eight days, but the crew’s return has been delayed several times while ground teams conduct tests on the vehicle and collect data before giving the astronauts the green light to return to Earth. During a press conference on Friday, NASA officials revealed that the mission does not yet have a return date as it awaits the completion of testing. They are also very upset by claims that astronauts are stranded on the ISS.
“Butch and Suni are not stuck in space,” Steve Stich, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program manager, told reporters Friday. Despite the thruster failure and the helium leak, NASA and Boeing insist the spacecraft could bring astronauts home at any time, and that the extra few weeks in orbit are meant to perform tests that otherwise wouldn’t be possible on Earth.
“We understand these issues for a safe return,” Mark Nappi, Boeing’s program manager, said during a news conference Friday. “We don’t understand them well enough to fix them permanently.” The Starliner, which is currently attached to the ISS, cannot be changed much as a result of ground testing, but the data can inform future designs of the spacecraft.
Technicians are also evaluating the oxidizer RCS isolation valve in the service module that is not closing properly. 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.
It’s understandable that Boeing and NASA want to conduct tests on the vehicle, given that it is, after all, a test mission. But the weeks-long tests are a little worrying, suggesting that the Starliner may not be ready to be assigned as a second commercial spacecraft carrying astronauts to the ISS. NASA’s other commercial partner, SpaceX, has sent eight crews to the space station so far. Boeing, on the other hand, has yet to complete any of its six contracted flights under its $4.3 billion deal with NASA.
Boeing had previously launched two unmanned flights to the ISS, which also suffered from a number of glitches. This is the first time a vehicle has carried a crew into orbit, and years of delays have led to expectations, as well as some skepticism, that the company can pull it off.
During a press briefing, Boeing’s Nappi told reporters that he goes through the Google alerts set up for the Starliner every morning and that it was “quite painful to read.” “We’ve had a really good test flight…and it’s been rated rather negatively,” he added. “We’re not stuck on the ISS. There is no danger to the crew. And there is no increased risk when we decide to bring Suni and Butch back to Earth.”
Unsurprisingly, Nappi’s Google alert hurts. Even before the Starliner fiasco, the company had been under scrutiny since the infamous incident earlier this year when a door flew off an Alaska Airlines Boeing. A few months later, the federal government said Boeing did breached the 2021 contract by failing to “design, implement and enforce a compliance and ethics program to prevent and detect violations of US fraud laws throughout its operations.” Boeing too investigated for two fatal plane crashes which killed 346 people in 2017 and 2018.
The ongoing Starliner accidents only add to the growing criticism of Boeing and raise concerns about the company’s compliance with safety standards. Through it all, NASA stuck by its commercial partner, at least publicly, and assured the media that there was nothing to worry about.
Starliner is certified to remain docked to the ISS for a maximum of 45 days during its current mission. The spacecraft may have to undergo in-orbit recertification if NASA and Boeing fail to complete additional Starliner testing ahead of schedule. It’s still unclear how the space agency decided to move forward after the Starliner’s descent in the Utah desert.
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