Starliner test launch for Boeing and NASA through 2022

Boeing may need to temporarily rename the Starliner to Factoryliner. NASA to announce The spacecraft won’t have a chance to launch until 2022 because the investigation into the problem that delayed the second experimental orbital flight mission (OFT-2) in August is still ongoing.

OFT-2 is an unmanned mission that will launch the Starliner to the International Space Station (ISS) using a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. The mission was scheduled to take place on August 3, but was postponed due to a problem with the Starliner propulsion system and the spacecraft was returned to the commercial crew and facility. Goods handling on August 13 to investigate the problem.

This investigation continued in the months following the last launch. “Boeing has identified the most likely cause with respect to oxidants and moisture reactions, and while some validation work is still ongoing, our confidence is high enough to initiate corrective and preventive actions” to allow future launches, NASA said. .

He also said that “further tests will be conducted on the spacecraft and its components in the coming weeks to explore the contributing factors and address the necessary system prior to flight,” but Starliner would not be able to launch immediately even if such tests were. he’s gonna be okay. NASA, Boeing, the United Launch Alliance and the Eastern Group have yet to define a new launch window.

“The team is currently working on opportunities in the first half of 2022,” NASA said, “pending hardware availability, rocket launches and space station availability.” This means that the delay of OFT-2 from its initial launch date on August 3 can be between 5-10 months, and this assumes that everything is going according to plan ahead.

This wouldn’t be the first time. The Starliner was launched as part of the original orbital flight test in December 2019, but Space.com pointing to It had a lot of trouble, got stuck in the wrong orbit to meet the station and landed after orbiting the Earth alone for three days, so the mission didn’t work. A follow-up mission isn’t exactly a good start.