NASA: Boeing Starliner test flight to ISS may resume May 19 - Update - IT Pro

NASA and Boeing said they believed Boeing had resolved an earlier issue with a valve in the Starliner’s capsule propulsion system. This means that the previously postponed flight test can resume on May 19.

It’s been a tough eight months, but it’s very satisfying that we’re addressing this issue with Steve Stitch, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program Manager, said in a statement. Oxidizing isolation valve already settled,” Space.com wroteSays launch can continue. It is scheduled for May 19.

The solution consists of several parts. Among other things, engineers seal the “path of potential moisture” in the valve’s electrical conductors. Also, moisture is retained outside the valve by nitrogen gas and the oxidized nitrous oxide is then filled.

This oxidizing agent turned out to be the culprit. 13 of the 24 valves remain stuck in the closed position. This is because the agent leaks through the valve and reacts with the moisture there, leading to the formation of nitric acid. This, in turn, reacts with the aluminum in the valve cap, causing corrosion.

These problems cause long delays. The so-called Orbital Flight Test 2 with Boeing’s Starliner capsule was supposed to have gone up on July 30, 2021, but it became more than once and in the end postponed indefinitely When problems arise.

The name Orbital Flight Test 2 indicates that there was also a first flight. Launch and flight took place in December 2019. The Starliner capsule failed to reach the International Space Station because of this I got into the wrong orbit around EarthThe reason for this is that the capsule clock is not synced properly, which causes the machine to shut down for a long time.

Like the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, the Starliner capsule is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. This is a program in which Boeing and SpaceX can transport astronauts to the International Space Station in their own capsules. Boeing wants to do it with an Atlas V rocket, and SpaceX is using a Falcon 9 rocket for that.

SpaceX outperformed Boeing in this program. Elon Musk has brought the necessary astronauts to the International Space Station in the Crew Dragon capsule, while Boeing must first demonstrate using Orbital Flight Test 2 that it can successfully perform a drone flight to the International Space Station.

Update 13:13able to Boeing teaches you that the transfer of the Starliner pod to the launch complex has been temporarily suspended due to a hydraulic leak in the United Launch Alliance carrier vehicle. It is a joint venture between Lockheed and Boeing and is the company behind the Atlas V rocket that will eventually carry the Starliner to the International Space Station. It’s still unknown what this means for the May 19 launch. Boeing said a maintenance team was on its way to review the situation.