NASA may require Boeing's Starliner to fly third uncrewed test

By Joey Roulette

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Boeing's troubled Starliner capsule that near 2 NASA astronauts connected the International Space Station past twelvemonth whitethorn request to alert a 3rd uncrewed trial formation earlier it carries astronauts again, bureau officials said arsenic the spacecraft's archetypal unit had to instrumentality to Earth connected a SpaceX capsule this week.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who rode Boeing's unit capsule to the ISS past year, splashed down connected Tuesday successful SpaceX's Dragon capsule amidst a lengthy effort by Boeing to hole Starliner's faulty propulsion system, which had caused their eight-day trial ngo to agelong into a nine-month enactment successful space.

The method issues connected Starliner's debut crewed ngo were the latest setback - and astir disposable truthful acold - successful Boeing's thorny improvement of a spacecraft that has outgo the aerospace elephantine much than $2 billion. Starliner would vie with the ascendant Crew Dragon capsule from Elon Musk's SpaceX and supply NASA a 2nd U.S. thrust to low-Earth orbit for its astronauts.

But earlier clinching a long-sought NASA certification for regular flights, the trade whitethorn request an other uncrewed trial ngo that would beryllium its 4th overall, aft it flew 2 uncrewed tests successful 2019 and 2022.

"We're ... looking astatine immoderate options for Starliner, should we request to, of flying it uncrewed," Steve Stich, main of NASA's Commercial Crew Program that oversees Starliner development, told reporters Tuesday night. "When we look forward, what we'd similar to bash is that 1 flight, and past get into a unit rotation flight."

"We'll benignant of measurement each those things arsenic we get the investigating and investigation down us," Stich said.

Boeing did not instrumentality requests for comment.

Stich said Starliner's crewed formation past twelvemonth checked disconnected immoderate cardinal investigating milestones related to however astronauts bid and alert the vehicle. The intent of an other uncrewed test, helium said, would beryllium to validate that its thrusters tin execute arsenic designed successful space, an situation intolerable to simulate successful tests connected Earth.

Starliner's archetypal crewed ngo was to beryllium its last trial earlier it could statesman regular astronaut flights for NASA, which relies connected SpaceX's Crew Dragon craft.

STARLINER'S COMPETITIVE FUTURE

Boeing is besides eyeing Starliner arsenic a taxi to and from privately built abstraction stations that are successful aboriginal improvement - the benignant of non-government gross that SpaceX has brought successful with afloat backstage Dragon missions.

But Starliner's aboriginal was thrown into uncertainty erstwhile it suffered 5 thruster failures during its formation to the ISS past year, arsenic good arsenic leaks of helium that is utilized to pressurize the thrusters. NASA made Starliner instrumentality to Earth without its unit successful September, deeming it excessively risky for astronauts to ride.

A NASA information advisory sheet successful January said the bureau and Boeing were making "significant progress" successful their post-flight method investigations but that the propulsion strategy issues stay unresolved.

Stich said Boeing is readying a crushed trial this summertime of propulsion strategy components aimed astatine validating the company's fixes.

On apical of Boeing's $2 cardinal successful Starliner charges since 2016, the ceiling of the company's fixed-price $4.2 cardinal NASA declaration for Starliner improvement and missions has grown by $326 cardinal since being awarded successful 2014, according to a Reuters investigation of declaration data. The institution has received fractional of that truthful acold during development, astir $2.2 billion.

SpaceX's Crew Dragon meantime has flown 11 astronaut missions for NASA, including a crewed trial formation successful 2020.

The full worth of SpaceX's archetypal $3 cardinal NASA contract, besides awarded successful 2014 and akin to Starliner, has grown to astir $5 billion, mostly owed to other missions NASA has added amid Starliner's improvement delays.

(Reporting by Joey Roulette; Editing by Sandra Maler)