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Boeing’s Starliner May Resume Flights as NASA Progresses Toward Certification
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft has been under significant scrutiny since SpaceX stepped in to transport NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams back from the International Space Station (ISS). Their stay aboard the ISS extended from a planned week to over nine months, adding to the urgency surrounding the Starliner program.
On Thursday, NASA indicated that Starliner, which had previously encountered helium leak issues and performance deficiencies with its thrusters, could potentially resume missions later this year. This timeline hinges on the successful completion of tests scheduled at White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico, anticipated to take place in the spring or summer.
Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, stated, “Once we get through these planned test campaigns, we will have a better idea of when we can go fly the next Boeing flight.” He emphasized the need for a thorough certification process, aiming for completion by the end of the year, after which the agency will assess Starliner’s role in the schedule for ISS missions.
The next flight is designated as a “crew-capable post-certification mission,” though NASA reserves the flexibility to execute it as a cargo mission based on operational requirements. During their latest briefing, officials expressed uncertainty regarding whether this mission would include crew members but reassured stakeholders about Boeing’s ongoing commitment to the program despite speculation about potential divestments in its space division.
Ken Bowersox, NASA’s associate administrator for space operations, reaffirmed Boeing’s dedication, stating, “NASA is seeing the commitment from Boeing to adding the Starliner system to the nation’s crew transportation base.”
Originally, the Crew Flight Test (CFT) was intended to be Starliner’s final test before it could officially begin transporting astronauts to the ISS. The development process for Starliner has been significantly funded, receiving $4.2 billion from the Commercial Crew Program, which also supports SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, the vehicle that brought Wilmore and Williams home. Crew Dragon has already completed ten successful missions and is poised for an eleventh launch in July. In stark contrast, Boeing has experienced losses exceeding $2 billion on the Starliner project without launching a fully operational mission.
Despite these challenges, NASA reported that strides are being made toward certifying Starliner for its next crewed mission. The agency indicated that over 70 percent of the identified flight anomalies have been resolved, aiding in the path toward re-certification.
Among the issues requiring attention are the in-flight anomalies Starliner met during its previous missions, including the helium leaks and failures in the reaction control system (RCS) thrusters intended for critical orbital adjustments. During the CFT, five of these thrusters did not perform as expected.
Investigators discovered the root cause of the thruster malfunctions to be related to design complications in the “doghouses” that house the thrusters. It’s believed that overheating led to seal expansion, which obstructed propellant flow. Stich acknowledged, “We thought, obviously, we had done enough analysis to show that the thrusters would be within the temperatures that they were qualified for. Clearly, there were some misses in qualification.”
To address these concerns, NASA plans to perform ground tests on select RCS thrusters at White Sands, aimed at validating thermal models and evaluating both the propulsion system and thermal protection enhancements for future missions. The agency is also looking into installing new thermal barriers and modifying thruster firing protocols to mitigate overheating risks. Additionally, new seals for the helium systems are under investigation to prevent future leaks.
The assessment of thruster performance issues is expected to continue well into 2025, contingent upon the results of ongoing tests and implemented system upgrades.
Stich noted that the timeframe to determine if Starliner will be assigned to the Crew-12 mission is still in deliberation. Missions under the Commercial Crew Program usually have a six-month duration, and personnel expect Crew-11 to launch in July, potentially allowing Crew-12 to lift off around January.
NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, who was initially assigned to the first operational Starliner mission, has been reassigned as the pilot for Crew-11, indicating a shift in crew assignments within the program.
A version of this story was first published on FLYING.
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