Boeing astronaut space capsule grounded for months due to valve problem-News

Due to annoying valve problems, Boeing’s astronaut capsule has been grounded for several months, and may even be grounded until next year.

Boeing and NASA officials said on Friday that the Starliner capsule will be removed from the top of the rocket and returned to the Kennedy Space Center hangar for more extensive repairs.

Last week, when the problem emerged, Starliner was preparing to take off on a repeated test flight to the International Space Station-carrying a mannequin but no astronauts. A similar space capsule was plagued by software issues in 2019 and could not reach the space station.

“We are obviously disappointed,” said John Volmer, vice president and project manager of Boeing’s commercial aircrew projects. “When we are ready to fly and it is safe to do so, we will conduct this test.”

Casey Ludes, head of NASA’s Office of Human Exploration, said this is “another example of why these demonstration missions are so important to us…make sure we’re wringed out before letting our crew start. system.”

Boeing’s performance is in sharp contrast to that of SpaceX, another NASA contracted taxi service company. In just over a year, SpaceX has sent 10 astronauts into the space station, and the other four astronauts will be launched on the company’s Dragon capsule at the end of October. Elon Musk’s company will usher in another first milestone next month, when it will bring three guests into the orbit of a billionaire, two of whom are contest winners.

Walmer said that the moisture in the air somehow seeped into the 13 valves in the space capsule’s propulsion system. This moisture is combined with a corrosive fuel-burning chemical that has been sealed to prevent the valve from opening as required before the launch attempt on August 3.

As of Friday, nine valves have been repaired. The other four require more invasive work.

Rainwater from a strong thunderstorm penetrated some of the space capsule’s propellers on the cushions, but engineers believed that this was not the same moisture that caused the valves to jam. Engineers are trying to determine how and when the moisture gets there; Walmer said this may be during the assembly process or later.

The 13 in question is one of dozens of valves connected to the thrusters. These valves need to send the capsule into the correct orbit and space station and re-enter the atmosphere at the end of the flight. Walmer said that all valves ran well five weeks ago and performed well in the 2019 test flight.

Vollmer said that it is too early to determine whether the valve needs to be replaced or even redesigned. Aerojet Rocketdyne provides the valves and the rest of the propulsion system.

Given all the uncertainty, Volmer would not disclose when Starliner is ready for another launch attempt.

Boeing will need to solve the traffic problems of other space stations, as well as the asteroid mission that NASA will launch on the same launch pad with the same rocket in October.

“It’s too early to say whether this year may be,” Walmer told reporters.