NASA will allow the return of Boeing Starliner from the ISS after analyzing ground engine tests

NASA has not yet been able to determine the timing of the return of the Boeing Starliner crew from the ISS to Earth, which has already been postponed several times due to technical problems. However, the agency said that NASA and Boeing engineers are trying to understand what is wrong with the spacecraft’s engines, and once the cause of the problems is found, a decision will be made to return the crew.

Image source: Boeing

Experts are currently evaluating the results of tests of the same engine as the Boeing Starliner, which were conducted last week at NASA’s White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) in New Mexico. At the same time, the mission team is working on a plan to return the spacecraft crew from the ISS to Earth in the coming weeks.

The ground tests involved firing the Boeing Starliner rocket control engine used to perform maneuvers under conditions similar to those the spacecraft experienced on its way to the ISS. High-load launches were also carried out and simulated conditions ranging from undocking from the ISS to deorbiting the vehicle, where engines would fire to slow it down and deorbit for landing in the southwestern United States.

At a press conference last Thursday, a NASA spokesman said that the return date of astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams is still unknown. Engineers will first disassemble the engine, which underwent ground testing in New Mexico, and analyze test data before giving the go-ahead for Starliner to return to Earth.

«We’ve collected a wealth of engine data that can help us better understand what’s happening in flight. And our team has begun disassembling and inspecting the engine, which will provide additional information when analyzing the results and assessing next steps,” said NASA Commercial Flight Program Manager Steve Stich.

Meanwhile, Wilmore and Williams participate in experiments with the ISS crew. For example, last Monday they were scanning veins using the Ultrasound 2 device.

admin

Share
Published by
admin

Recent Posts

Apple to Change OS Numbering: iOS 26 to Come This Year Instead of iOS 19

Apple is preparing a large-scale rebranding of its line of operating systems. This was reported…

15 hours ago

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has matched Skyrim in sales, and every third Cyberpunk 2077 owner has bought the Phantom Liberty add-on

The cult open-world action role-playing game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which recently celebrated its…

15 hours ago

Analysts predict absurd surge in PC sales due to Trump’s indiscriminate tariffs

IDC analysts unexpectedly concluded that the current unstable tariff policy of the US administration will…

15 hours ago

Adata XPG Mars 980 Blade PCIe 5.0 SSD Review: Affordable SM2508 Flagship

The first consumer SSDs with PCIe 5.0 interface appeared on the market about two years…

15 hours ago

Electronic Arts to Focus on Key Franchises — Black Panther Action Game Cancelled, Cliffhanger Games Studio Closed

The IGN portal, citing internal correspondence from Electronic Arts, reported that the American publisher has…

15 hours ago

Study: Apple C1 mobile modem falls short of Qualcomm modems in terms of connection quality in difficult conditions

A study by Cellular Insights Inc. found that Qualcomm's mobile modems perform better than Apple's…

2 days ago