Space Travelers Depart for Space Station Following Delay Caused by Troubles with Boeing's Starliner Spacecraft
NASA's Starliner Grounded, Astronauts Aboard SpaceX's Dragon Instead
In a surprising turn of events, Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is currently grounded due to thruster failures and helium leaks discovered during testing. As a result, a U.S.-Japanese-Russian crew of four astronauts, originally scheduled to fly on Starliner, had to switch to SpaceX's Dragon capsule for their journey to the International Space Station (ISS).
The crew, which includes Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who were originally scheduled to fly on Starliner, as well as Oleg Platonov, a former Russian fighter pilot, and Kimiya Yui, a former military officer with spaceflight experience, blasted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Friday.
NASA and Boeing are working through a series of hardware modifications and thermal performance improvements to address the problems with Starliner. The plan is to have a cargo flight before resuming crewed missions, with the next launch aimed for early 2026 at the earliest.
The recent delays in Starliner's schedule have caused astronauts originally assigned to Boeing's crew flights to fly instead on SpaceX missions or other vehicles due to Starliner's unavailability. Zena Cardman, a biologist and polar explorer, was previously scheduled to launch but was yanked to make room for Starliner's test pilots.
Meanwhile, Sean Duffy, NASA's new acting administrator, met with Roscosmos director general Dmitry Bakanov during the first launch attempt, but they left town due to a last-minute delay caused by thick clouds.
NASA is looking to save money by making changes to its space missions, such as longer stays and smaller crews. The agency is considering increasing space station stays from six to eight months, a move already adopted by Russia's space agency. NASA is also leaning toward launching smaller crews of three astronauts on SpaceX missions to cut costs.
Time is running out as NASA looks to abandon the aging space station by 2030. SpaceX is close to certifying its Dragon capsules for longer flights, which means the newly launched crew could be up there until April. An air leak on the Russian side of the space station remains unresolved after years of patching.
Despite the challenges, Oleg Platonov, a member of the current crew, expressed confidence about the localized leak on the Russian side of the space station. He was pulled from the Russian Soyuz flight lineup due to an undisclosed health issue, but claims it has since been resolved.
[1] Boeing's Starliner Spacecraft Grounded Due to Thruster Failures and Helium Leaks [2] NASA and Boeing Working to Fix Starliner's Thruster Issues [3] U.S.-Japanese-Russian Crew Launches Aboard SpaceX's Dragon [4] Delays in Starliner's Schedule Force Astronaut Switches [5] NASA Considering Increasing Space Station Stays and Smaller Crews to Cut Costs [6] Time Running Out as NASA Looks to Abandon Aging Space Station by 2030 [7] SpaceX Close to Certifying Dragon Capsules for Longer Flights [8] Oleg Platonov Confident About Resolved Health Issue, Localized Leak on Russian Side of Space Station [9] Zena Cardman Yanked from Launch to Make Room for Starliner's Test Pilots [10] Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams Switch to SpaceX Due to Starliner's Troubles [11] Sean Duffy and Dmitry Bakanov Leave Town Due to Last-Minute Delay Caused by Thick Clouds
- The recent troubles with Boeing's Starliner Spacecraft have caused astronauts to switch from using technology powered by the Starliner to SpaceX's Dragon, as seen in the case of Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.
- The delays in Boeing's Starliner's schedule, due to issues such as thruster failures and helium leaks, have also impacted the field of general news, as NASA is now looking to sciences like space-and-astronomy, and technology to cut costs and save money by making changes to their space missions.
