Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is unlikely to fly again until 2026 due to ongoing thruster issues that have plagued the astronaut taxi since its first launch in June 2024. Without astronauts on board, NASA plans to conduct tests and analysis to find a fix for the problems.
Starliner launched on its first crewed mission, known as Crew Flight Test (CFT), carrying NASA astronauts Sunita “Suni” Williams and Butch Wilmore to the International Space Station (ISS) in June 2024. However, the spacecraft experienced multiple helium leaks and thruster failures during the mission, forcing NASA and Boeing to return it to Earth without the crew on board.
Since then, NASA has been working to identify the root cause of the issues and find a solution. The space agency has performed extensive analysis of the problems and plans to conduct further tests at its White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico.
“We know that we get some permeation of oxidizer vapor across [the thrusters], and the seal that we had was not very robust for oxidizer exposure,” explained Steve Stich, NASA commercial crew program manager. “We have various materials and tests right now to improve that seal on the helium interface at the flange of the thruster.”
The testing process is ongoing, with NASA conducting a series of “pulse trains” designed to cycle through a sequence of thruster burns at varying intensities and frequencies. The goal is to better understand the effects of temperature swings within the spacecraft’s doghouses and develop thermal models for an integrated doghouse test.
Despite the challenges, NASA remains committed to Starliner as a critical part of its human spaceflight goals in low Earth orbit (LEO). The space agency believes that having multiple options for accessing LEO will be essential for the long-term success of its space program.
“We’re really working toward a flight as soon as early next year,” said Stich. “There’s a strong chance we’ll fly a cargo flight first.”
The first crewed Starliner mission is now expected to launch in 2026, with NASA planning to test all changes made to the spacecraft’s doghouses before validating them in flight.
Source: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/international-space-station/doghouse-days-of-summer-boeings-starliner-wont-fly-again-until-2026-and-without-astronauts-aboard