Route links
- PMN technology
- PMN Business
Author of the article:
Reuters
Steve Gorman and Joey Roulette
Date Posted:
May 25, 2022 • 15 minutes ago • 2 minutes reading • Join the conversation
Content of the article
Boeing Co’s Starliner capsule returned from the International Space Station and landed in New Mexico on Wednesday, completing a high-risk test flight as NASA’s next vehicle to take humans into orbit.
Less than a week after launching from the U.S. Space Force base at Cape Canaveral in Florida, the CST-100 Starliner capsule sank into Earth’s atmosphere on Wednesday evening before an assisted descent. parachute over the desert of White Sands Space Harbor, New Mexico. It landed on time at 18:49 EDT (2249 GMT).
Announcement 2
This ad has not yet been uploaded, but your article continues below.
Content of the article
The approximately five-hour return journey from the space station, an orbital location about 250 miles above Earth, verifies the final stage of a repeated test flight that Boeing had first attempted in 2019. , but could not be completed after suffering software errors.
The latest test mission moves Starliner, beset by repeated delays and costly engineering setbacks, a major step closer to offering NASA a second reliable route to transport astronauts to and from the space station.
The Starliner was launched last Thursday on an Atlas V rocket supplied by the Boeing-Lockheed Martin United Launch Alliance and achieved its main goal: an appointment with the ISS, although four of its multiple engines on board they malfunctioned along the way.
Announcement 3
This ad has not yet been uploaded, but your article continues below.
Content of the article
Boeing engineers also had to improvise an alternative solution for a thermal control defect during the final approach of the capsule to the space station.
Since resuming manned flights into orbit from U.S. soil in 2020, nine years after the end of the space shuttle program, the U.S. space agency has had to rely solely on Falcon 9 and the Crew Dragon capsules from the private company SpaceX by billionaire Elon Musk.
Previously, the only other way to get to the lab in orbit was to take trips aboard Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft, a currently less attractive alternative in light of rising tensions between the US and Russia over the war in Ukraine. .
There is a lot at stake for Boeing as the Chicago-based company struggles to emerge from successive crises in its aircraft and space defense business unit. The Starliner program alone has cost the company nearly $ 600 million over the past two and a half years.
Announcement 4
This ad has not yet been uploaded, but your article continues below.
Content of the article
An unfortunate first Starliner orbital test flight in late 2019 nearly ended the loss of the vehicle after a software bug that effectively thwarted the spacecraft’s ability to reach the space station.
Subsequent problems with the Starliner propulsion system, supplied by Aerojet Rocketdyne, led Boeing to scour a second attempt to launch the capsule last summer.
Starliner remained on the ground for another nine months while the two companies argued over what caused the fuel valves to shut down and which company was responsible for fixing them.
The full test mission that ended Wednesday could pave the way for Starliner to fly its first astronaut crew to the space station sometime next year, awaiting a redesign of the system’s valves. of Starliner propulsion and a resolution of the propeller problems that arose in the media. -mission.
The advanced orbiting site is currently home to a crew of three American astronauts from NASA, an Italian astronaut from the European Space Agency and three Russian cosmonauts. While the Starliner was parked at the station, some of these astronauts boarded the capsule to analyze the conditions of their cabin.
Share this article on your social network
Announcements
This ad has not yet been uploaded, but your article continues below.
Main news from Financial Post
Sign up for the latest daily news from Financial Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.
By clicking the sign up button, you agree to receive the previous Postmedia Network Inc. newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300
Thanks for signing up!
A welcome email is on its way. If you don’t see it, check your junk folder.
The next issue of Financial Post Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.
We encountered a problem registering you. Please try again
Comments
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil discussion forum and encouraging all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments can take up to an hour to moderate before appearing on the site. We urge you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We’ve enabled email notifications – you will now receive an email if you receive a response to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you are following, or if a user is still commenting. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.