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NASA is delaying its next astronaut launch to buy more time at the International Space Station for the Boeing team’s troubled new capsule.
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The local firm announced on Tuesday that it will postpone SpaceX’s four-person flight from this month to next. It is now scheduled for September 24 at the earliest. Officials said that would give them more time to analyze the propellant and leak problems that plagued Boeing’s Starliner capsule after it took off in June, the first with a crew on board.
Tuesday marked a two-month stint at the local station for Starliner test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who deserved to have returned until mid-June. NASA is comparing every conceivable feature to bring back the two veteran astronauts, adding a home back in a SpaceX capsule.
“NASA and Boeing continue to evaluate the readiness of the spacecraft and no decision has been made on the return of the Starliner,” NASA said in a statement. More details were expected at a news conference scheduled for Wednesday.
Only two docking ports at the area station can accommodate U. S. astronaut capsules, and at the moment, both are occupied. One will have to be released before the next SpaceX team can arrive. Russia has its own parking areas for its Soyuz capsules.
The latest setback for the 4 astronauts who flew with SpaceX in March now also faces a longer-than-expected project.
For the past few weeks, Boeing has been conducting test launches of thrusters on the ground and in space to explain why five thrusters failed before the Starliner arrived at the space station on June 6. Helium leaks also appeared in the capsule’s propulsion formula.
Citing the tests, the company said last week: “Boeing remains confident in the Starliner spacecraft and its ability to safely return to its crew. »
Boeing and SpaceX were among the top of NASA’s list for transporting astronauts to and from the space station, after the shuttles were retired in 2011. NASA signed contracts worth billions with both corporations to have a reserve in case one of them goes out of service. through an accident.
SpaceX presented its first equipment in 2020; The next flight will be NASA’s tenth astronaut flight. It has also sent some equipment into orbit.
Boeing has had to overcome several problems with the Starliner over the years. The company had to deliver an empty Starliner twice before committing to a crew, repeating the initial flight test due to faulty software and other problems. The delays cost the company more than $1 billion.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives reporting from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Education Media Group. The AP alone is to blame for all content.
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