DISASTER! Boeing Starliner Leak Proved SpaceX Dragon 100X Better as it Can’t Be Fixed!
NASA: Boeing Starliner Leak Proved SpaceX Dragon 100X Better as it Can’t Be Fixed! Boeing’s Starliner Faces New Challenges Ahead of Historic Crewed Mission. The highly anticipated launch of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, set to carry NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station (ISS), is facing uncertainty due to ongoing technical issues. The mission, known as the Crew Flight Test (CFT), has been tentatively scheduled for June 1, but this date remains subject to change pending the resolution of a recent helium leak and other lingering concerns. Boeing’s Starliner program has faced numerous delays and setbacks since its inception in 2014, when NASA contracted the company, along with SpaceX, to provide commercial crew transportation services to the ISS. While SpaceX’s Crew Dragon has successfully flown multiple missions since 2020, Boeing’s Starliner has yet to carry astronauts, despite initial expectations of crewed flights by 2017. The Starliner spacecraft’s uncrewed test flight in 2019 was unsuccessful due to a software issue that prevented it from reaching the ISS. A subsequent uncrewed test in 2022 was successful, following a series of extensive fixes. However, the program’s latest challenge, a helium leak discovered after a May 6 launch attempt was scrubbed, has raised new concerns about the spacecraft’s readiness for crewed missions. The leak, originating from a small area between two metal parts of a flange in a reaction control system (RCS) thruster, initially began at 7 pounds per square inch (PSI) and increased to between 50 PSI and 70 PSI. Although considered minor, the leak affects the pressurization necessary for small maneuvers in orbit and requires attention to ensure the spacecraft’s safety and reliability. Engineers from NASA, Boeing, and Aerojet Rocketdyne (the thruster vendor) are working to understand the cause of the leak and devise solutions. Credit to : SpaceX Community