NASA image
The long-awaited second certification flight of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner manned vehicle has completed. After a spacecraft’s first failed attempt to reach the International Space Station (ISS), a number of changes were made to the system in 2019. This is a significant moment in the NASA Commercial Crew program, which aims to test the system’s capabilities for future manned flights.
After the unsuccessful first flight of the unmanned CST-100 Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station, the Boeing system faced a second chance to pave the way for certification completion. The launch described as part of the Orbital Flight Test 2 (OFT-2) mission took place on May 20, at 0:54 Polish time from the LC-41 launch complex at John F. Kennedy in Cape Canaveral, Florida. A Boeing capsule was launched into space aboard the United Launch Association (ULA) Atlas 5 launch system. The ship separated from the rocket’s upper stage as planned in less than 15 minutes. after take off. After another quarter of an hour, the capsule successfully maneuvered into orbit and began the journey to the International Space Station. Docking to Unity harmony It will take place on Saturday, May 21.
However, Orbital Flight Test Flight 2 was not perfect as there were problems with the propulsion system. Two of the twelve corrective engines failed, but as the flight control team emphasized – it wasn’t a huge problem. Once the anomaly was discovered, the engineers went to work to determine the cause of the failure.
As soon as the article is published, the ship is heading to the International Space Station to dock there, to the American unit. The vehicle will be connected to the orbital station for four to five days. During this time, the Starliner will undergo further tests, and thanks to the crew of the American International Space Station, 250 kg of cargo (mostly food) will be unloaded. Prior to the return mission, the Starliner will be filled with trash and merchandise destined for return to Earth.
Illustration: Boeing
The successful outcome of the mission is critical to the Boeing project and may determine its expected contribution to providing astronaut crew services to the International Space Station. The CST-100 Starliner has been under construction since at least 2010. The original completion date of the system (developed with the participation of, among others, Aerojet Rocketdyne and Bigelow Aerospace) was indicated for 2015, but due to program delays and the failure mentioned in the first unmanned test, this moment has been postponed several times.
The first test flight took place in 2019 and was actually a partial failure for the company. The launch was successful and the capsule was placed in orbit, but this was the end of the positive aspects of the mission as there were methodological errors that caused the ship to prematurely use fuel for unnecessary maneuvers. As a result, it was impossible to increase the orbit to the one on which the International Space Station is located, so it was decided to return to Earth.
The second test flight was scheduled for mid-August 2021, but the countdown was stopped a few hours before takeoff because the fuel valves in the car’s service module did not open. Changes that had to be made to the car caused the trip to be delayed by another month.
After the test mission is completed, the CST-100 Starliner capsule will be refurbished and prepared for its first manned flight. It is expected that if the ship successfully completes the ongoing mission, the flight with astronauts on board should take place until the end of the current calendar year. However, let’s keep in mind that it depends, among other things, on who will solve any problems that will be observed during the test flight.
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