The way that I parse it:Boeing can't abandon the NASA contract despite the huge financial losses as it would have huge implications for other NASA + military contractsBoeing is not rushing to pay ULA for Vulcan human rating due to the recent rumors of issues with Blue Reef and general global economic coolingSo, things we knew already. No secret squirrel business.
Kent Rominger conveys that ASAP is pleased with Boeing's progress on Starliner. Still work to do for CFT and for Starliner-1. Lot going on, lot to accomplish, lot for NASA to keep an eye on and we'll follow closely.
Taken at a family day today:https://twitter.com/mhaskellphoto/status/1720916220138967198QuoteIf outward appearances mean anything, the @BoeingSpace Starliner CFT looks like she’s ready to fly, reusing the capsule from OFT-1.
If outward appearances mean anything, the @BoeingSpace Starliner CFT looks like she’s ready to fly, reusing the capsule from OFT-1.
Starliner Parachute System Upgrade Tested Before Crewed FlightA modified parachute system for Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program was tested over the Arizona desert on Jan. 9. Parachute deployment and a soft landing of the test article were visually confirmed. Preliminary data analysis of this two-parachute test suggest the primary test objectives were met. Engineering teams will continue to review the results, inspect the test parachutes, and work to complete system certification in the weeks ahead.In the meantime, NASA and Boeing are proceeding with preparations for Starliner to carry astronauts for the first time to the International Space Station during the Crew Flight Test, currently slated to launch no earlier than mid-April on a mission lasting about 10 days.The drop test, which used a Starliner parachute system attached to a dart-shaped sled the same weight as a Starliner, was performed to confirm the functioning of a redesigned and strengthened soft link joint that is part of the network of lines connecting the parachutes to the spacecraft. The test also validated a change to strengthen one textile joint in the parachute, increasing overall parachute robustness. As with other capsules, Starliner relies on parachutes to land safely when it returns to Earth.A C-130 cargo aircraft from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virgina, carried the test article and parachutes high above the U.S. Army’s Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona before releasing them. Engineering teams, CFT astronauts Butch Wilmore, Suni Williams and Starliner-1 astronaut Mike Fincke watched from the drop zone below. The Starliner main parachutes were lifted from the test article using flight-like pilot parachutes before inflating fully to slow the test dart to the same soft-landing velocity experienced by the Starliner spacecraft in flight.Starliner completed two uncrewed flight tests including Orbital Flight Test-2, which docked to the space station on May 21, 2022.Follow NASA’s commercial crew blog or CFT mission blog for the latest information on progress. Details about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program can be found by following the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew on X, and commercial crew on Facebook.Author Jason CostaPosted on January 12, 2024Categories Boeing, Commercial Crew, Commercial Spaceflight, International Space Station, NASA, NASA AstronautsTags Butch Wilmore, C-130, CFT, Crew Flight Test, drop test, Mike Fincke, parachute system, Suni Williams, U.S. Army, Wallops Flight Facility, Yuma Proving Ground
A NASA C-130 cargo aircraft releases a dart-shaped test vehicle above the U.S. Army’s Yuma Proving Ground on Jan. 9 to begin the testing sequence for a Boeing Starliner parachute system. Credit: U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground
A pair of parachutes lower the dart-shaped test vehicle to the ground to conclude the drop test for a modified parachute for the Starliner spacecraft. Credit: U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground
NASA, Boeing Move into Next Phases of Flight Test PrepNASA and Boeing teams are preparing for a flight test no earlier than mid-April in which the Starliner spacecraft will carry two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station.Teams have made significant progress in resolving technical issues identified during the agency’s flight certification process. Following a successful drop test earlier this month in which recent modifications to Starliner’s parachute system were validated, NASA and Boeing are working to perform final analysis of the test data and complete overall system certification ahead of Starliner’s first crewed flight. This standard NASA process is designed to independently verify Starliner’s parachute system meets crew safety requirements and is expected to continue over the next six to eight weeks.Meanwhile, Boeing completed removal of P213 tape that may have posed a flammability risk in certain environmental conditions. Boeing removed more than 17 pounds, or roughly 4,300 feet, of the material from the Starliner crew module. For areas in which removal of the tape carried an increased risk to Starliner hardware, Boeing applied tested remediation techniques such as overwrapping the P213 tape with another non-flammable, chafe-resistant tape, and installing fire breaks on wire harnesses. The agency worked to clarify the properties and safe usage guidance relative to P213 tape in the NASA Materials Usage Agreements database to prevent a similar misapplication from occurring across industry in the future.Additionally, major integrated flight operations exercises are underway. Mission support teams recently completed a two-day undock to landing mission dress rehearsal with recovery personnel on the ground at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. Teams simulated Crew Flight Test procedures and spacecraft sequences starting with pre-undock powerup and continuing through undock, entry, landing, and crew recovery. The exercise provided an additional training opportunity for NASA and Boeing to practice Starliner’s return to Earth in a high-fidelity environment before the flight.Teams from ULA (United Launch Alliance) are preparing the Atlas V rocket hardware for processing and spacecraft integration. Boeing is targeting completion of Starliner assembly at the end of January. The upgraded parachutes were delivered and installed on the spacecraft, along with Starliner’s forward heat shield and ascent cover. Prior to fueling operations, following final installation of thermal protection system blankets and internal closeout work, Boeing will begin flowing a nitrogen purge into the Starliner’s service module to ensure ambient moisture does not permeate into the propulsion isolation or active thermal control system valves. In the weeks ahead, NASA and Boeing will work to identify any remaining work before loading Starliner propellant.The next couple of months teams will:work to complete overall Crew Flight Test certification;put the finishing touches on the Starliner spacecraft, which is already joined to its service module;run simulations of operational conditions to rehearse every phase of the mission with the crew, flight controllers, and ground operations teams;fuel the spacecraft with propellants for its onboard thrusters for in-space maneuvering;stack the ULA Atlas V rocket and Starliner spacecraft before rolling them to the pad at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida;and work through detailed systems reviews, culminating with a flight readiness review in the days before launch to verify the system and teams are ready.Starliner’s Crew Flight Test will launch NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the orbiting laboratory for a stay of one to two weeks before returning them to a landing in the southwest United States. The mission will mirror the tasks of regular crew rotation flights for Boeing’s Starliner under contracts with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.Follow the commercial crew blog or Crew Flight Test mission blog for the latest information on Starliner’s progress toward launch. Details about the mission and NASA’s Commercial Crew Program can be found by following the commercial crew blog, X, and Facebook.Author Elyna Niles-CarnesPosted on January 24, 2024Categories Boeing, Commercial Crew, Commercial Spaceflight, International Space Station, Kennedy Space Center, NASA, NASA AstronautsTags Atlas V, Atlas V rocket, Boeing, Boeing Starliner-1, Butch Wilmore, CFT, Crew Flight Test, drop test, NASA, NASA Kennedy Space Center, United Launch Alliance
Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner crew ship is pictured docked to the Harmony module’s forward port on the International Space Station as the orbitng complex flew 261 miles above the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexican state of Nayarit. Photo credit: NASA
https://twitter.com/boeingspace/status/1758233088071504265
Our team recently joined @Commercial_Crew to evaluate #Starliner's upgraded parachute design.Data analysis shows the two-parachute test over @ypg_az was a success and all test objectives were met, clearing the way for the Crew Flight Test.
https://twitter.com/boeingspace/status/1758265044960166282QuoteInside Our Factory: A new parachute system is now installed on the #Starliner spacecraft that will soon perform our Crew Flight Test.This upgraded design improves the system's soft links, reinforces its main parachute suspension, and strengthens its radial line.
Inside Our Factory: A new parachute system is now installed on the #Starliner spacecraft that will soon perform our Crew Flight Test.This upgraded design improves the system's soft links, reinforces its main parachute suspension, and strengthens its radial line.
Is astronaut "Jonny" Kim the likely 4th crew member selected for Starliner 1 mission scheduled for 2025? He is the only remaining Group-22 astronaut without a flight assignment.
