Boeing's Starliner mission suffers another delay; launch in February 2023
Boeing's hopes of sending astronauts to the International Space Station have suffered another setback. The Starliner spacecraft with NASA astronauts aboard is now set for a February 2023 takeoff, said an official announcement. The mission, which would've been Starliner's first crewed mission, was expected to be launched by the end of 2022. Meanwhile, Starliner's competitor SpaceX is gearing up for its sixth crewed flight.
Why does this story matter?
Boeing's failure to ready Starliner in time has been a surprise to many. A long-time partner of NASA, everybody expected Boeing to kickstart the space agency's "hired shuttle" program. What's even more surprising is that a fairly new SpaceX managed to beat Boeing to the task. If everything goes well, however, this could be the end of troubled waters for Boeing.
The spacecraft's thrusters had issues during its May test run
Starliner has been plagued with issues since the beginning. Its most recent test run to the ISS in May was successful, but officials had identified issues with the spacecraft's thrusters that did not fire as intended. There were also some software-related problems. None of these issues affected its ISS trip, but they have been deemed serious enough to require fixes before its crewed journey.
Starliner will join SpaceX's Crew Dragon when certified by NASA
Boeing has a $4.5 billion contract with NASA for the development of Starliner and six routine missions. Once certified by the space agency, it will join SpaceX's Crew Dragon, which has been ferrying astronauts to and from the ISS since 2020. NASA's space shuttle program retired in 2011. Therefore, it wants at least two spacecraft to carry astronauts to the space station and back.
Boeing has spent around $700 million on Starliner since 2019
Starliner is no stranger to problems. Its first orbital test run in 2019 was cut short due to software issues. It took nearly two years for the spacecraft to return to the launchpad. Another sticky valve issue further delayed its return to flight. Since its failed 2019 test, Boeing has spent $688 million on Starliner. Its March test mission itself cost $93 million.
Barry Wilmore, Sunita Williams will be first astronauts on Starliner
Once Starliner is deemed ready for its crewed mission, the capsule is expected to be integrated with its Atlas 5 rocket in November. The Atlas 5 launch vehicle was built by Boeing and Lockheed Martin. NASA astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita Williams will be the first to board the spacecraft on its initial trip to the space station.
