NEW DELHI: Boeing is planning to launch its first manned space vision in June without repairing a small helium gas leak on its Starliner aircraft, officials announced on Friday.
The Starliner, in development since 2010, has faced many technical problems and is yet to meet its expected function of transporting pilots to the International Space Station ( ISS). In the meantime, Boeing’s company, SpaceX, has advanced with its Crew Dragon capsules.
The Starliner was scheduled to take pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the ISS on May 6. However, the vision was postponed only hours before start due to a inaccurate valve on the United Launch Alliance jet.
Following inspections revealed more issues, including a gas leak in the aircraft’s company unit, which contains the propulsion system. While the rocket gate has been replaced, Boeing and Nasa have decided to proceed with the ISS vision without fixing a tiny mark on a leaking joints.
Steve Stich, director of Nasa’s Commercial Crew Program, said that the hole is tolerable even if the hole rate rises significantly. The problem affects one of 28 jets used to power the aircraft’s approach. The group plans to check the hole carefully in the days leading up to the start, set for June 1 at 12:25 am from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Mark Nappi, Boeing’s vice chairman for the professional staff plan, explained that replacing the cover would be difficult and require dismantling the Starliner at its factory. Stich noted that it is not uncommon to travel with small spills, citing similar cases with space shuttle and SpaceX’s Dragon.
This goal is essential for Boeing as the company faces problems within its business aviation section. Nasa aims to guarantee a second professional car for crew transfer to the ISS, a target set since the last space flight mission in 2011. A successful Starliner mission could help overcome the program’s past setbacks.
In 2019, a software defect during an uncrewed test flight prevented the capsule from reaching the ISS. A second software issue could have caused a catastrophic collision but was corrected in time. In 2021, blocked valves forced another postponement while the rocket was on the launchpad.
The Starliner finally reached the ISS in May 2022 during a non-crewed launch. However, other issues, including weak parachutes and flammable tape in the cabin, have caused further delays to the crewed test flight.
( With agency inputs )
