Cape Canaveral, Florida – Boeing is on the brink of a significant milestone as they prepare to launch astronauts into orbit aboard the commercial CST-100 Starliner crew capsule. After overcoming technical challenges that delayed previous launch attempts, the aerospace giant is now gearing up for a crucial test flight called the Crew Flight Test.
Nearly a year ago, engineers discovered two critical technical issues during the final certification reviews for the Starliner spacecraft. These issues, involving the parachute deployment system and the presence of flammable tape in wiring bundles, had to be addressed to meet safety standards. The delays caused by these challenges pushed back the spacecraft’s first manned test flight by several years.
Since then, extensive redesigns have been made to the parachute system, including the removal of approximately 4,300 feet of flammable tape from the spacecraft. Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager, confirmed that rigorous testing has been conducted to ensure the safety of the Starliner system before the upcoming Crew Flight Test.
The upcoming flight, targeted for liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, is slated for April 22. Veteran NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will be onboard the spacecraft, tasked with docking with the International Space Station before returning to Earth for a parachute-assisted landing in New Mexico. The test flight is expected to last around 10 days.
In preparation for the mission, Boeing conducted a final prelaunch parachute test to verify the strength of key components, such as the fabric soft links connecting the spacecraft to the parachutes. These tests are crucial to ensuring the spacecraft’s ability to safely land even if one of the main chutes fails to deploy.
Technicians have also been busy removing the flammable tape from the spacecraft and implementing safety measures in areas where complete removal was not possible. While these setbacks have highlighted the rigorous safety standards of NASA’s human spaceflight certification process, they serve as a reminder of the importance of early detection and resolution of technical issues in spacecraft development.