Boeing Starliner
Discussion
Reports of issues with the orbital insertion burn
"We do have an off-nominal orbit insertion," says Steve Siceloff, a Boeing spokesperson at mission control in Houston. "We have spacecraft control. Guidance and control teams are assessing their next maneuvers. Spacecraft batteries are good, and the spacecraft is in a stable orbit."
Apparently the burn was delayed as the spacecraft was in the wrong attitude for the burn
"We do have an off-nominal orbit insertion," says Steve Siceloff, a Boeing spokesperson at mission control in Houston. "We have spacecraft control. Guidance and control teams are assessing their next maneuvers. Spacecraft batteries are good, and the spacecraft is in a stable orbit."
Apparently the burn was delayed as the spacecraft was in the wrong attitude for the burn
Kelly Kaplan, a Boeing spokesperson, says the Starliner spacecraft "experienced an off-nominal insertion" following a successful launch on an Atlas 5 rocket.
"The spacecraft currently is in safe and stable configuration," she said. "Flight controllers have completed a successful initial burn and are assessing next steps. Boeing and NASA are working together to review options for the test and mission opportunities available while the Starliner remains in orbit."
That last bit doesn't look too hopeful for it reaching the ISS
"The spacecraft currently is in safe and stable configuration," she said. "Flight controllers have completed a successful initial burn and are assessing next steps. Boeing and NASA are working together to review options for the test and mission opportunities available while the Starliner remains in orbit."
That last bit doesn't look too hopeful for it reaching the ISS
eharding said:
Eric Mc said:
Scott Manley is saying that it used up too much of its rendezvous fuel just holding the correct attitude. There's a press conference coming up very shortly.
Looking back at the coverage from the control room at the graphics on the large screen, it does appear to show attitude thrusters firing constantly.Big question now is will Boeing demand more money from NASA to rerun the test ? I don't think SpaceX did when their Dragon2 blew up, but Boeing did recently get some extra money when they intimated they could walk away from the contract
They made a mistake in the press conference saying crew could have fixed the error - press is going in for the kill...
Some are also raising the question of whether they need to rerun the flight or go straight to a manned test - surely a successful unmanned docking with the ISS is a contractual requirement ?
Some are also raising the question of whether they need to rerun the flight or go straight to a manned test - surely a successful unmanned docking with the ISS is a contractual requirement ?
Eric Mc said:
Spaceflight is not airline operations. Different risk criteria apply. I would suggest that having people on board the mission that just ended would have ensured a better outcome than total reliance on automation.
What I was trying to get at was that given everything else going on in the company, Boeing's top execs could see it as too risky for the company to go straight to a manned flight as even the slightest issue affecting crew safety could have repercussions on the company out of all proportion.They are already getting jokes made about them e.g.
"NASA Commercial Crew test flight hatch opening"
Gandahar said:
https://techcrunch.com/2020/01/29/boeing-reports-a...
$410m for one missed launch if NASA do not sign it off?
I thought the USA going to the ISS was supposed to be cheap compared to the Russians?
I'd be interested to know the break down of this cost. Sounds like Boeing are just shoving out huge numbers now for everything on losses they have sustained with Max 737.
The Starliner needs another perfect launch to the ISS to be signed off. This reminds me of Apollo 1 etc. $$ should not get in the way of lives.
Note that is a charge against their own accounts, not one they expect NASA to pay - though Boeing are definitely the more expensive of the two CCP providers with price per seat expected to be around $90M ( it's a 7 seater ) compared to $55M per seat for SpaceX$410m for one missed launch if NASA do not sign it off?
I thought the USA going to the ISS was supposed to be cheap compared to the Russians?
I'd be interested to know the break down of this cost. Sounds like Boeing are just shoving out huge numbers now for everything on losses they have sustained with Max 737.
The Starliner needs another perfect launch to the ISS to be signed off. This reminds me of Apollo 1 etc. $$ should not get in the way of lives.
Beati Dogu said:
It seems that a potentially fatal software issue was found and fixed on the Starliner capsule while it was in orbit. The fix was uploaded just 2 hours before re-entry from its truncated mission.
"Had the error not been caught, the source said, proper thrusters would not open during the reentry process, and the vehicle would have been lost."
https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/02/starliner-...
So...a very important test flight, with the customer watching, the world watching, years of preparation...and two major flaws occurred "Had the error not been caught, the source said, proper thrusters would not open during the reentry process, and the vehicle would have been lost."
https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/02/starliner-...
Did they not test the thing at all ? Did they not run it through a simulated mission to check everything worked as it should ?
I agree - a fully successful unmanned flight is needed before putting people aboard this
Boeing to rerun unmanned test flight
A document based on internal NASA planning documents suggest an NET August launch, shortly after SpaceX DM-2 returns from a 3-month stay. The COVID-19 events shouldn't impact this as ISS human spaceflight and time-sensitive operations such as the Mars Perseverance Rover are still in preparation for flight.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/04/after-trou...
A document based on internal NASA planning documents suggest an NET August launch, shortly after SpaceX DM-2 returns from a 3-month stay. The COVID-19 events shouldn't impact this as ISS human spaceflight and time-sensitive operations such as the Mars Perseverance Rover are still in preparation for flight.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/04/after-trou...
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