Ongoing woes for Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft
After correcting a slew of problems identified by NASA, Boeing’s Starliner project was supposed to get back on track in 2021, but a scrubbed test launch in October has us wondering when this commercial crew vehicle will finally be ready for prime time.
The uncrewed test launch of a CST-100 Starliner was delayed indefinitely after controllers failed to open 13 oxidizer valves in the spacecraft’s propulsion system. Inspections of the grounded capsule were done inside ULA’s Vertical Integration Facility, but after a week of this, Boeing decided to move the Starliner to its factory at the Kennedy Space Center. Boeing suspects the problem was caused by Florida’s humid air, or at least something having to do with moisture getting into the system. Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2 mission to the International Space Station could happen in the first half of 2022, but at this point, all bets are off.
