• Good progress on closing out in flight anomalies and observations (~75% closed on all items). • Working through the helium leak and thrust degradation issues. • Helium seal replacement candidates are in test. • Modelling performance of the doghouses, planning to test one at White Sands later this year and hot fire in a vacuum chamber. • Modifications planned for the thermal blanket and preventing the OMAC plume getting back into the doghouses. • Launch schedule will depend on test results, aiming for certification by end of 2025. • Possible hint that it could be a cargo mission by referring to it as "crew capable". • ISS Fall manifest is pretty busy, CRS-33 has a critical payload to reboost the station.
Boeing Starliner Return To Flight Uncertain For 2025Robert Wall March 10, 2025The Boeing CST-100 Starliner may not return to flight this year as the company and NASA work to address the myriad issues exposed during last year's troubled crew flight test (CFT) and a busy launch period for the agency.
For context, it was Steve Stich who gave the Starliner update at the Crew-10 press conference.(FWIW when he said the next Starliner mission will be “crew capable” I interpreted it as they are proceeding as if it will be crewed but no decision yet made.)
On the phone Marcia Dunn (AP) asks several questions, including about decision on vehicle for crew 12. Stich: Looking at options for flying Starliner uncrewed. "We have a little time to make that decision."Next question also re: Starliner.Boeing all the way up to new CEO Kelly are committed to Starliner. They realize they have an important vehicle. Changes needed for thrusters.Bloomberg reporter: who would pay for an uncrewed Starliner; would it then require another CFT?Stich: we need another crew capable vehicle. Trying to do it under what we call the post-certification phase of the contract.Stich on Boeing: we need one flight before a regular crew rotation flight.Sawyer for NSF: with last East coast splashdown, what happens to Megan and what's the contingency for bad Pacific weather.Walker: Don't know what will happen with Megan. More stable weather in Pacific but cloud cover difference make airborne recovery support more challenging. Maintaining viable number of splashdown/recovery days.
NASA and Boeing are making progress toward crew certification of the company’s CST-100 Starliner system following the Crew Flight Test to the International Space Station. Joint teams are working to resolve Starliner’s in-flight anomalies and preparing for propulsion system testing in the months ahead as NASA plans for Starliner’s next flight.“NASA’s strategy for crew transportation is critical for assured access to space using American private industry,” said Ken Bowersox, associate administrator for Space Operations at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Our investment in commercial crew transportation capabilities is providing the needed flexibility to operate in space as safely as possible and respond to changes quickly when they arise. NASA is seeing the commitment from Boeing to adding the Starliner system to the nation’s crew transportation base.”In the months following the safe return of the uncrewed Starliner capsule from the International Space Station, NASA and Boeing have worked on postflight data analysis from its crewed flight test. There has been a significant amount of work completed, with more than 70% of flight observations and in-flight anomalies being closed at program-level control boards. The major in-flight propulsion system anomalies Starliner experienced in orbit are expected to remain open further into 2025, pending the outcome of various ground test campaigns and potential system upgrades.NASA and Boeing are working to finalize the scope and timelines for various propulsion system test campaigns and analysis that is targeted throughout the spring and summer. Testing at White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico will include integrated firing of key Starliner thrusters within a single service module doghouse to validate detailed thermal models and inform potential propulsion and spacecraft thermal protection system upgrades, as well as operational solutions for future flights. These solutions include adding thermal barriers within the doghouse to better regulate temperatures and changing the thruster pulse profiles in flight to prevent overheating. Meanwhile, teams are continuing testing of new helium system seal options to mitigate the risk of future leaks.“Once we get through these planned test campaigns, we will have a better idea of when we can go fly the next Boeing flight,” said Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. “We’ll continue to work through certification toward the end of this year and then go figure out where Starliner fits best in the schedule for the International Space Station and its crew and cargo missions. It is likely to be in the timeframe of late this calendar year or early next year for the next Starliner flight.”Mission managers are planning for the next Starliner flight to be a crew capable post-certification mission, and NASA also has the capability of flying only cargo depending on the needs of the agency.The goal of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is the development of two dissimilar human spaceflight systems to ensure crew safety and to meet the International Space Station’s need for continuous human presence aboard the space station.
Commercial CrewThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration has contracted us to design and build the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft to transport crews to the International Space Station (ISS). During 2024, we increased the reach-forward loss by $523. We are continuing to work toward crew certification and resolve the propulsion system anomalies. At March 31, 2025, we had approximately $401 of capitalized precontract costs and $147 of potential termination liabilities to suppliers related to unauthorized future missions. Risk remains that we may record additional losses in future periods.
Play by play of the Crew-11 prelaunch press conference by Mr Mikulka, active on Bluesky in most such events. Includes juicy Starliner news (in italics):https://bsky.app/profile/genejm1017.bsky.social/post/3ltmoyt7fcc2kQuote<snip>Q: Are you going to 6 months mission or will you bump it up to 8 and a Starliner Update?A: Have embarked on a plan to extend to 6 to 8 months, we've started that work with SpaceX, they are in the process of delivering the data for an 8 month mission will take us 4 wks. to sort though that. On Starliner we had a set of helium leaks, were looking at how to improve that seal on the helium leaks, will be testing all of that now will lead to a new seal to replace the truster flanges, have a set of [tests] @ White Sands we're putting a thruster though some short paces, learning a lot about that, also building a test stand for the Doghouses, we're going to want to understand the heat inside the doghouse, Boeing has a set of hardware modifications, thermal shunt is showing a LOT of progress. Working to a flight early next year with Starliner.<snip>Q:...and crew rotation flights seems like you have more flights on contract than you are able to fly, any discussion with Boeing?A: We have 6 flights with Boeing, its too early to speculate on how many flights but we are also looking at Commercial LEO and we want to see if we can use the two vehicles for Commercial LEO.<snip>Q: Will the Starliner Mission be a cargo flight or crew?A: There's a good case to have it as a Cargo flight first, what we're looking at is what changes we'll make to the doghouses , there is a strong change we'll fly a cargo mission but we still have to talk though that.<snip>
<snip>Q: Are you going to 6 months mission or will you bump it up to 8 and a Starliner Update?A: Have embarked on a plan to extend to 6 to 8 months, we've started that work with SpaceX, they are in the process of delivering the data for an 8 month mission will take us 4 wks. to sort though that. On Starliner we had a set of helium leaks, were looking at how to improve that seal on the helium leaks, will be testing all of that now will lead to a new seal to replace the truster flanges, have a set of [tests] @ White Sands we're putting a thruster though some short paces, learning a lot about that, also building a test stand for the Doghouses, we're going to want to understand the heat inside the doghouse, Boeing has a set of hardware modifications, thermal shunt is showing a LOT of progress. Working to a flight early next year with Starliner.<snip>Q:...and crew rotation flights seems like you have more flights on contract than you are able to fly, any discussion with Boeing?A: We have 6 flights with Boeing, its too early to speculate on how many flights but we are also looking at Commercial LEO and we want to see if we can use the two vehicles for Commercial LEO.<snip>Q: Will the Starliner Mission be a cargo flight or crew?A: There's a good case to have it as a Cargo flight first, what we're looking at is what changes we'll make to the doghouses , there is a strong change we'll fly a cargo mission but we still have to talk though that.<snip>
At the Crew-11 press conference, Stitch confirmed Starliner would be the 2nd slot in 2026 at the earliest. That guarantees Crew-12 will take the 1st slot which should be in the January to March timeframe but could be delayed if they extend Crew-11 from a 6-month mission to an 8-month mission.https://twitter.com/SpaceflightNow/status/1943350477002780956 [July 10]Quote18/ Regarding Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, Stich says testing is ongoing regarding the seal on the helium interface at the flange of the thruster. Says this is being modeled across the country, but it will likely need a new seal.Says out at White Sands Test Facility in Utah, there will be an integrated doghouse test, which will involve multiple thruster firings of the RCS thrusters along with the OMAC thrusters. This will help create a better understanding of the thermal model.Stich says they're looking to get a flight as soon as early next year and then get into regular crew rotation missions no earlier than the second crew rotation mission in 2026.
18/ Regarding Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, Stich says testing is ongoing regarding the seal on the helium interface at the flange of the thruster. Says this is being modeled across the country, but it will likely need a new seal.Says out at White Sands Test Facility in Utah, there will be an integrated doghouse test, which will involve multiple thruster firings of the RCS thrusters along with the OMAC thrusters. This will help create a better understanding of the thermal model.Stich says they're looking to get a flight as soon as early next year and then get into regular crew rotation missions no earlier than the second crew rotation mission in 2026.
