On June 18 NASA announced that Starliner would start its journey home at 22:00 EST on Wednesday 26 June (03:00 Thursday 27 June BST).
NASA had earlier stated in a blog post that the leaks posed no safety risk to the astronauts because: “Only seven hours of free-flight time is needed to perform a normal end of mission, and Starliner currently has enough helium left in its tanks to support 70 hours of free flight activity following undocking.”
“We’re just taking a little more extra time to review all the data and also learn as much as we can while we have this service module in orbit,” Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager, said at a news conference last week before the latest postponement.
However several days later, following high-level meetings, NASA concluded that the scheduled return should be “adjusted” to a date in July. No additional information was given as to why the decision had been changed.
NASA stated that flight engineers wanted to study the spacecraft to get to the bottom of the faults before it re-entered into the Earth’s atmosphere. That’s because while the crew capsule will parachute to the ground, Starliner’s faulty lower ‘service module’ will burn up upon re-entry, meaning the loss of some information on what went wrong.
There were three scrub situations, shown below, including two in which NASA’s astronauts were strapped in for launch and halted at the last minute. There were problem leaks then and apparently there still are…
Godspeed when the crew is finally homeward bound.
MAY 6: ULA’s Launch director Tom Heter III has scrubbed tonight’s Starliner launch. Out of an abundance of caution for the safety of the flight and pad crew, we scrubbed the Crew Flight Test (CFT) launch attempt today due to an observation on a liquid oxygen self-regulating solenoid relief valve on the Centaur upper stage. The team needs additional time to complete a full assessment, so we are targeting the next launch attempt no earlier than Friday, May 10.
MAY 8: NASA’s statement regarding the scrub indicated that the two astronauts flying the CFT mission, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, will remain at the Kennedy Space Center in pre-flight quarantine for this latest delay.
The delay enables United Launch Alliance to return the rocket to its Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) hangar near the pad to replace a liquid oxygen pressure regulation valve in the Centaur. That valve started oscillating after the stage was loaded with liquid oxygen, creating a buzzing noise noticed by launch pad crews.
JUNE 1: At 12:21 PM EST A long and nerve racking morning was appearing to lead up to the much delayed NASA Boeing Starliner mission. HOWEVER after many other issues the Ground Launch Sequencer held at 4 minutes. Not knowing what the problem is the launch is scrubbed. Careful attention to offloading the crew.
Boeing’s Mission Update
NASA and Boeing leadership are adjusting the return to Earth of the Starliner Crew Flight Test spacecraft with agency astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams from the International Space Station. The move off Wednesday, June 26, deconflicts Starliner’s undocking and landing from a series of planned International Space Station spacewalks while allowing mission teams time to review propulsion system data. Listen to a full replay of the June 18 media briefing where NASA and Boeing leadership discussed the ongoing efforts.
“We are taking our time and following our standard mission management team process,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. “We are letting the data drive our decision making relative to managing the small helium system leaks and thruster performance we observed during rendezvous and docking. Additionally, given the duration of the mission, it is appropriate for us to complete an agency-level review, similar to what was done ahead of the NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 return after two months on orbit, to document the agency’s formal acceptance on proceeding as planned.”
A media telecon with mission leadership will follow the readiness review’s conclusion, and the agency will share those details as they are solidified. Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft remains cleared for return in case of an emergency on the space station that required the crew to leave orbit and come back to Earth.
Mission managers are evaluating future return opportunities following the station’s two planned spacewalks on Monday, June 24, and Tuesday, July 2.
“Starliner is performing well in orbit while docked to the space station,” said Stich. “We are strategically using the extra time to clear a path for some critical station activities while completing readiness for Butch and Suni’s return on Starliner and gaining valuable insight into the system upgrades we will want to make for post-certification missions.”
Wilmore and Williams remain integrated with the Expedition 71 crew, assisting with station operations as needed and completing add-on in-flight objectives for NASA certification of Starliner.
“The crew’s feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, and they know that every bit of learning we do on the Crew Flight Test will improve and sharpen our experience for future crews,” said Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Boeing’s Starliner Program.
The crew is not pressed for time to leave the station since there are plenty of supplies in orbit, and the station’s schedule is relatively open through mid-August.
