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NASA is testing this year the first Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT) for the Starliner capsule. It is the third Strainer test and the second flight to the International Space Station (ISS). In this final flight test, NASA will validate Boeing’s Starliner transportation system, including the launch pad, rocket, spacecraft, in-orbit operational capabilities, and return to Earth with astronauts aboard[1]. After this flight and once all the tests are successfully verified, the Starliner will enter a new era as a new transportation system for humans to space.
Starliner successfully flew an uncrewed mission to the ISS during the second flight test (Orbital Flight Test 2 or OFT-2) in May 2022. On its third flight, Butch Wilmore and Sunita (Suni) Williams, two retired U.S. Navy pilots and now astronauts for NASA, will launch atop the ULA Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Cape Canaveral, Florida, in a 24-hour trip to the space station.
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During their flight to the ISS, the spacecraft and its crew will perform several flight test objectives. Among these are performance demonstrations of crew equipment (e.g., seats and suits) from prelaunch through ascent. The Starliner will autonomously dock to the forward-facing port of the Harmony module in the ISS, however, Butch and Sun will assess the spacecraft thruster performance for manual abort scenarios. They will also conduct communication checkouts, test manual and automated navigation, and evaluate life support systems during approach, rendezvous, and docking with the station. The ISS crew will closely follow all maneuvers executed during the approach stage [2].
This mission will also bring with them 760 lb of cargo, half of which is Boeing memorabilia, including a hard drive with more than 3500 art pieces from children across the globe. NASA, on the other hand, is sending food, clothes, exercise equipment, medical supplies, and other items requested by the crew at the space station. They will also send a pump for the urine processing assembly, used in the water recovery system on board the ISS.
In this mission, Butch and Suni will spend about a week on board the space station. They will perform several tests like testing the hatch opening and closing operations, transferring emergency equipment into the station, and demonstrating the spacecraft can perform as a “safe haven” location for the space station. These safe havens are available in the event of a contingency aboard the space station, such as depressurization, fire, or risk of collision with orbital debris.
After about seven days at the ISS, the Starliner and crew will descend over land in the western United States about six hours after undocking. Just like any other capsule, Starliner will enter the atmosphere of Earth at an orbital velocity of 17,500 mph. It will slow down to about 4 mph, at the time of landing, with the help of two drogue and three main parachutes. The fall through the atmosphere exposes the astronauts to about 3.5 g of force and the heat shield to temperatures above 3000 F. A few minutes before landing, the spacecraft’s forward heat shield will jettison exposing the dual airbag system. The six primary airbags will deploy at the base of the capsule, cushioning its landing.
Although the spacecraft can also land on water, they will test the land capability this time. The potential landing locations for this mission include White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico; Willcox, Arizona; Dugway Proving Ground, Utah; and a contingency landing site at the Edwards Air Force Base in California.
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After landing and before approaching, the recovery team will check for hypergolic propellant traces. This will be followed by electrically grounding the command module, raising a tent around the Starliner, and start pumping cool air into the spacecraft. Once the hatch opens, the astronauts will move to the medical vehicle for initial health checks and then fly by helicopter to a NASA aircraft that will return them to Ellington Field in Houston. It will take about 1 hour for the land and recovery team to extract the astronauts from the capsule.
The success of Boeing Starliner provides the needed redundancy for the USA to launch humans into space and to accelerate our capabilities to get to the Moon and Mars.
[NASA's quote] — NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is working with the American aerospace industry through a public-private partnership to launch astronauts on American rockets and spacecraft from American soil. The goal of the program is to provide safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation on space station missions, which will allow for additional research time.
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