Boeing's Starliner capsule makes progress, but many challenges are still ahead

Boeing's Starliner Spacecraft Faces Ongoing Challenges Despite Milestone Achievement

Boeing's Starliner spacecraft recently achieved a significant milestone by delivering two astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). This marked its first crewed docking with the ISS, a critical safety demonstration aimed at both NASA and the emerging market for private astronaut missions, which is currently led by SpaceX with its Crew Dragon capsule. However, the path to regular missions remains fraught with challenges.

Critical Milestone Met Amid Technical Issues

The CST-100 Starliner capsule's journey was not without problems. Four helium leaks and five malfunctioning thrusters were encountered during its 24-hour trek to the ISS, delaying the docking process. Despite these issues, the spacecraft successfully autonomously docked with the ISS, and astronaut Butch Wilmore took manual control and tested the craft's steering, contributing to overall mission safety demonstrations.

NASA's commercial crew chief Steve Stich acknowledged the difficulties, stating, "Starliner made us work a little harder to get docked." The crew, consisting of veteran astronauts and test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, will remain on the ISS for up to 45 days, testing Starliner's ability to undock, maneuver, and safely return to Earth.

Lingering Concerns Over Technical Failures

The helium leaks and propulsion system failures, while not posing immediate danger to the astronauts, remain a concern. These issues echo similar problems encountered during Starliner's 2022 uncrewed test flight to the ISS. Boeing initially discovered one helium leak while Starliner was still on the ground, which NASA deemed as low-risk for flight.

Boeing plans to redesign the valves in Starliner's propulsion system after discovering a flaw in 2022. The company, supported by $5.5 million from NASA, is also studying potential redesigns for Starliner’s batteries. However, redesigns could extend timelines and costs, especially if supply chain involvement is necessary. Previous disputes between Boeing and its propulsion system supplier, Aerojet Rocketdyne, over valve defects have already added complexities to the project's development.

The Competitive Landscape

SpaceX's vertical integration approach has provided it an edge in quickly addressing and rectifying design flaws. For instance, a novel valve issue caused an explosion during a 2019 ground test of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, leading to a redesign of the capsule’s abort propulsion system within roughly a year. Similarly, SpaceX managed to redesign Crew Dragon's toilet in less than two months in 2021. Abhi Tripathi, former SpaceX Crew Dragon mission director, underscored the ease of fixing design flaws in a vertically integrated company.

Uncertain Future for Starliner

Nasa officials will spend months reviewing mission data and examining the flight problems to determine if Starliner can be certified for routine flights. "It's not a success until they safely return, and until we understand the implications of any anomalies that occurred during the mission," stated Patricia Sanders, former chair of NASA's Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel.

The achievement of the crewed ISS docking is a significant step forward, but Boeing must address these mistakes and complete several more objectives before Starliner can hope to compete with SpaceX's Crew Dragon in government and private orbital human spaceflight missions.