Boeing’s long-awaited Starliner capsule successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on June 6 after experiencing additional helium leaks after takeoff. This is the Starliner’s first astronaut crew launch after more than $5 billion in investments.
Boeing and NASA finally launched the CST-100 Starliner on June 5, capping roughly 10 years of development in a race toward commercial space travel with competitor SpaceX and its Dragon capsule. The flight is a key test mission to demonstrate the spacecraft’s abilities, but it has faced multiple delays since early May due to safety issues, including a helium leak in the propulsion system.
The crew discovered two more leaks hours into the flight, disabling some of the thrusters used to steer the craft in space. Boeing and NASA have not yet confirmed the size of the new helium leaks, but they did not prevent NASA test pilots Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams from safely reaching the ISS by midday on June 6.
Four of the capsule’s 28 thrusters went offline, but Mr. Wilmore and Ms. Williams successfully restarted three of them, allowing them to proceed with docking. Boeing spokesman Jim May said earlier in the day that the capsule also has backup thrusters.
Helium Propulsion System
The propellant in Starliner’s thrusters is pressurized with helium, which is stored in two tanks aboard the capsule. NASA and Boeing did not indicate the speed of the new leaks.The craft should have plenty of helium reserves to compensate for what it has lost, Mr. May said early on June 6, adding that the capsule will no longer need the thrusters after it has completed docking.
Once docked with the ISS, Mr. Wilmore and Ms. Williams will check for airlock leaks and pressurize the entryway between the craft and the space station before opening the hatches and greeting the seven crew members on the ISS.
Four of them are U.S. astronauts, and three are Russian cosmonauts.
Boeing and NASA plan to keep the two pilots aboard the ISS for roughly eight days before they reboard Starliner for the return flight home.
After an intense blast through the Earth’s atmosphere, a parachute will slowly lower Starliner toward the desert sands of the U.S. Southwest before deploying airbags to cushion the bottom of the craft as it touches the ground.
Years of Development
Starliner’s successful June 5 launch comes after years of delays in getting the new craft to space. Boeing’s first test launch in 2019 failed, prompting another non-crewed test launch in 2022 that finally reached the ISS.Boeing and NASA launched Starliner aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket; it was the first time astronauts have ridden one since NASA’s Project Mercury in the 1960s. Astronaut John Glenn rode an Atlas V when he became the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962.
Starliner is the rocket’s 100th successful launch in 60 years, as it is often used to take satellites to space. The United Launch Alliance is a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing.
NASA and Boeing said in a press conference on May 31 that a bad seal likely caused the helium leak, allowing the gas to escape from the propulsion and thruster systems. Officials said it was not serious enough to require a full mechanical fix, pointing to the craft’s additional helium reserves.
Starliner was born out of contracts that NASA awarded to Boeing and SpaceX in 2014 after the agency discontinued the Space Shuttle program. Boeing received $4.2 billion to develop what would become Starliner, and SpaceX received $2.6 billion, which it used to create its Dragon spacecraft. Dragon employs a redesign of an existing craft that SpaceX had been using to send supplies to space.
Since 2020, Dragon has been NASA’s only vehicle for sending astronauts to orbit from the United States. Starliner’s first test flight is key to earning NASA’s approval for additional crew missions aboard the new spacecraft.
Despite receiving billions of dollars from NASA, Boeing’s Starliner is years behind schedule and more than $1.5 billion over budget.
Boeing is also experiencing headaches with its airplane manufacturing business after incidents with its 737 MAX jets. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has capped Boeing’s production of the fast-selling airplane until it reaches several safety and quality standards set by the regulatory body.
