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Starliner Fails to Make Journey to ISS

posted by janrinok on Friday December 20 2019, @06:31PM   
from the keep-on-trying dept.

PiMuNu writes:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-50855395

The Boeing company is going to have to cut short the uncrewed demonstration flight of its new astronaut capsule.

The Starliner launched successfully on its Atlas rocket from Florida, but then suffered technical problems that prevented it from taking the correct path to the International Space Station.

It appears the capsule burnt too much fuel as it operated its engines, leaving an insufficient supply to complete its mission.

Starliner will now come back to Earth. A landing is planned in the New Mexico desert in about 48 hours.

See also:

• https://spacenews.com/starliner-suffers-off-nominal-orbital-insertion-after-launch/

• https://spacenews.com/starliner-anomaly-to-prevent-iss-docking/

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Original Submission

• lol oklol ok (Score: 3, Informative) by takyon on Friday December 20 2019, @06:43PM (3 children)

  by takyon (881) <takyonNO@SPAMsoylentnews.org> on Friday December 20 2019, @06:43PM (#934752) Journal

  https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2019/12/starliner-mission-shortening-failure-successful-launch/ [nasaspaceflight.com]

  Instead of an eight-day mission that would have seen the return of biological science samples from the Station, Starliner will now come back to Earth after just 48 hours in orbit and having not performed some of its critical flight test objectives such as rendezvous, proximity operations, and automated docking to the International Space Station.

  [...] At a post-launch news conference, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine stated it was too early to say whether NASA would make Boeing repeat the uncrewed Orbital Flight Test before allowing people to fly on the Crew Flight Test.

  The Administrator said that while he would not rule out the possibility of a second, uncrewed Orbital Flight Test, he would also not commit to such a proposal at this time, noting that Boeing and NASA will have to review the cause of the software issue and evaluate the impact the fix to that software might have on Starliner’s overall certification for flight thus far.

  [...] Despite no longer being able to reach the International Space Station, NASA and Boeing are hopeful that Starliner will still be able to demonstrate some of its fine-tune maneuvering capabilities while on orbit.

  The hope from Boeing – at this point – is that Starliner would be able to demonstrate enough automated rendezvous system capability to convince NASA that a repeat of the uncrewed Orbital Flight Test is not necessary before proceeding to crew flights.

  https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=43958.msg2027851#msg2027851 [nasaspaceflight.com]

  Boeing privilege at work?

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• Re:lol okRe:lol ok (Score: 2) by choose another one on Friday December 20 2019, @08:00PM (2 children)

  by choose another one (515) on Friday December 20 2019, @08:00PM (#934789)

  > Boeing privilege at work?

  Nah. More like Boeing cash flow requirement.

  - MAX production is stopped - we need another billion dollar mission
  - Just inflate the price again
  - Can't, we've been rumbled on doing that last time
  - Well why not ****er something up on CFT so we have to run it again?
  - Hmm, might work, would have to be software as the hardware is final, I think we have some guys spare from the MCAS vNext project, shall I put them on it?

  Parent

  • Boeing privilege at PorkBoeing privilege at Pork (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 20 2019, @09:15PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 20 2019, @09:15PM (#934811)

    Porks every time

    Parent

    • Re:Boeing privilege at Pork(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 21 2019, @01:28PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 21 2019, @01:28PM (#934971)

      Mmmm.... bacon. Crispy, no less.

      Parent