According to the two parties, the experiment, dubbed “crewed flight test”, which is supposed to transport two astronauts again to the International Space Station, has been postponed due to two technical problems recently identified:
The first issue was with the parachutes used to hold the capsule on its return to Earth, as part of the bond between the capsule and the parachute itself was found to be more fragile than expected. The second problem concerns the adhesive tape used to wrap the electrical cables inside the capsule. This tape has been shown to be flammable and under certain circumstances may present a hazard if it malfunctions.
“We have decided to halt preparations for the ‘crew flight test’ mission in order to correct these issues,” Boeing program director Mark Nappi told a news conference.
He pointed out that the aforementioned adhesive tape is used for tens of meters at least. Removing it could cause damage, and one solution might be to cover it with other materials in the most vulnerable areas.
Nabi stressed that this year’s trip is still “doable”, without committing to a new date.
The US space agency has contracted with Boeing and SpaceX to develop a capsule to transport astronauts to the International Space Station and back.
Astronauts have been traveling since 2020 on a vehicle designed by SpaceX, but Boeing’s program has been delayed by a series of setbacks.
After a failed flight in 2019, the company was finally able to reach the International Space Station for the first time, during an uncrewed flight carried out a year ago.
He must now perform a final manned flight test on the Starliner in order to be certified and begin operational flights.
Boeing had hoped to be able to carry out this manned flight in 2022, before postponing it to February 2023, then April, then July.
Faced with these recurring problems, journalists questioned NASA on its willingness to continue its cooperation with Boeing.
“Our ultimate goal is to have a SpaceX flight and a Boeing flight once a year to rotate our crews through the station,” NASA commercial program manager Steve Stitch said Thursday.
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