NASA and Boeing have found a solution to proceed with the launch of the Starliner capsule CFT mission. For about a month the capsule has been stationary on top of the Atlas V rocket, after the first launch attempt was interrupted on May 6th about two hours before departure. The new launch date is set for June 1st at 6.25pm Italian time.
The error that stalled the launch was a leak in a liquid oxygen valve in the rocket’s second stage. The problem was quickly resolved by ULA, the company that manages the carrier, but during the tests a problem also emerged in a valve that manages the flow of helium into a single thruster of the RCS system of the capsule’s service module.
On May 24, NASA and Boeing held a press conference to clarify the nature of the problem and how it was partially resolved. Steve Stich, head of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, said the problem is a button-sized rubber seal, the condition of which worsened during these tests in May.
NASA and Boeing have determined that Starliner can fly despite the current loss. Mark Nappi, Boeing vice president and head of the Commercial Crew Program, explained that even if the seal were completely removed, the rate of the leak would remain within manageable limits. This assessment gave them confidence that even if the leak worsened, the flight would still be safe.
The launch
An additional, but limited concern will be the condition of the Atlas V launch vehicle. The rocket was assembled and made flight-ready in late April, and in particular the flight termination system (FTS) has an expected expiration date of late June and at the beginning of July.
This means that if further problems were to arise or if Boeing decided to definitively solve the seal problem, the Starliner would have to be removed from the rocket and the FTS replaced. Furthermore, a delay of weeks would have caused problems with the ULA launch timeline.
Currently the Backup dates for the June 1st launch are June 2nd, 5th and 6th.
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