NASA and Boeing Remain Confident in Safe Launch of Spaceship Despite Ongoing Helium Leak Concerns
The capsule’s first astronaut mission is scheduled to launch on June 1 after nearly a month of delays due to various safety concerns.
NASA Commercial Crew Program Manager Steve Stich reassured reporters that contingency plans would be in place to safely bring the crew back to Earth even if the leak had been discovered after the launch. “Although the probability of encountering this scenario is very low, we are highly confident in the effectiveness of the solution we have devised,” Mr. Nappi said. Mr. Stich mentioned that initially, the helium was leaking at a rate of seven pounds per square inch per minute, which increased to around 70 to 80 pounds per minute. Despite the rate, he stated that this amounts to roughly 15 cubic inches in volume, or the size of a softball. “In fact, we could handle a leak that’s 100 times worse than this,” he added. Mr. Nappi emphasized that the decision on when to launch the capsule into space ultimately comes down to safety. “When we evaluated this issue, it wasn’t about making compromises. It was about determining whether it was safe or not. It is safe, and that’s why we decided we could proceed with the launch as planned,” he said.
Another issue that the crew addressed involved the capsule’s “urine processor assembly,” which purifies astronauts’ urine into drinking water in a closed loop, Ms. Weigel explained. Instead of replacing the system, Boeing and NASA adjusted the cargo inventory to accommodate a urine storage bag weighing over 100 pounds. The two astronauts scheduled for Starliner’s first crew launch are Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, both retired Navy captains who previously spent time on the International Space Station years ago. Both astronauts have been in quarantine in preparation for the launch. While this is Starliner’s first astronaut launch, it is the capsule’s third test launch. The original test in 2019 had to be redone in 2022 after the capsule failed to reach the International Space Station due to significant software issues. Starliner represents Boeing’s endeavor to venture into commercial space travel following NASA’s retirement of the space shuttle program in 2011. Boeing initially sought an exclusive contract with NASA, but the agency decided to split the contract between the aerospace contractor and SpaceX. NASA allocated $4 billion to Boeing and $2.6 billion to SpaceX for the development of space capsules. SpaceX has successfully conducted astronaut-led flights in its Dragon space capsules since 2020. Boeing has been trailing its competitor for four years, but it also faced challenges with its commercial airplane manufacturing following the discovery of fatal flaws in the 737 MAX program by federal regulators. NASA stated that the weather on June 1 is 90% favorable for a successful launch. “We are looking forward to the launch, and we are confident in the mission,” said NASA astronaut Mike Fincke. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
