Boeing Starliner runs into more problems, delaying launch further

In a press conference hosted by NASA, Boeing officials unveiled new problems found during its most recent review. These two issues are delaying the launch of Starliner’s Crewed Flight Test past the current July launch window with marginal hope of launching before the new year.

Boeing finds faulty part of Starliner’s parachute system

The first issue, and the most serious it sounds like from Boeing, was a lower-than-expected stress limit on Starliner’s parachute system. Airborne Systems, a sub-contractor of the Starliner program, informed Boeing that it found the “soft links” on the parachutes failed at a much lower limit than initially tested. This was due to stress readings being mismeasured.

What are “soft links,” you’re asking? These are part of what connects the parachutes to the spacecraft. They are a cloth-like material and connect the retention strands to Starliner and take a large amount of the force during descent.

Okay, the second question you’re probably thinking is how Boeing’s two uncrewed Orbital Flights Tests succeed without issues? Like in the Apollo Program, NASA crew capsules have been required to have three parachutes and be able to land with only two. Both SpaceX’s Crew Dragon and Boeing’s Starliner meet these requirements.

The failure mode that Boeing saw with these “soft links” would be when one parachute goes out during descent, and then a high load is exerted on the chutes. In this scenario, failure of these “soft links” could cause the parachutes to detach from the spacecraft, causing Starliner to crash to the ground.

A redesign and test campaign will be needed to validate the system ahead of the launch of CFT with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.

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Starliner wire tape, it’s everywhere and is flammable

Oh my god, the tape, we need to talk about this tape. So Boeing uses a specific type of tape placed over all the wiring around Starliner. This is to protect it from any work being done around it or any other potential cause of damage.

During some review of the tape, the adhesive is flammable under specific conditions. According to Boeing, it doesn’t sound like every wire it is wrapped around would be able to spark a fire, but some could, and that will need to be remedied before the flight as well.

Worse part, the tape is apparently everywhere. I’m sure some engineer was told the tape might have to be replaced and looked behind a panel inside Starliner with fear. Also, the tape can’t be easily cut away from the wires. So yeah, it seems like Boeing is stuck with it or will have to redo all the wiring.

Both of these issues were found last week during a review point ahead of fueling Starliner with propellent for its propulsion system. This is usually done a few months ahead of launch.

However, Boeing determined it was impossible to fix either of these issues ahead of that milestone and delayed the launch of CFT. Mark Nappi, Boeing manager of the Commercial Crew Program, says it is feasible to get CFT launched this year but isn’t willing to commit to any timeframe.

Space Explored’s Take

There are two significant takeaways from today’s press conference, at least for me. First, NASA and Boeing decided it was essential to do it so quickly after discovering the issue to inform the press. This could have been because in the last update, Boeing had some pretty difficult questions about why some issues were just then being brought to light even though they were known for months, even years. However, the tone was much more serious. “Today is about communication, tomorrow starts on determining our way forward,” Nappi said during the press conference.

So either Boeing is finally deciding to be more upfront with Starliner’s development and keep the press and public in touch with updates, or there are some serious concerns about the potential timeline.

Washington Post reporter Christian Davenport brought the second takeaway directly to Nappi. Each update Boeing recently stated that they were committed to the Commercial Crew Program, but that was left out today. It actually sounded in some statements by Nappi that there was doubt Starliner could continue in the program with all of its delays. Boeing’s CEO was even queued in on how to move forward. If you think you are 100% certain you can continue with the program, that’s not something you do.

Nappi declined that he intended that Boeing would drop out of the program, and NASA wants Boeing to continue working so they have two crewed spacecraft. In a statement from Boeing after the conference, the company made it clear that they remain “determined” and “committed” to developing Starliner and flying CFT is a “priority.”