Boeing sets May as the date for the test flight of the Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station

 

Boeing has identified a possible date for a new test launch of its Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station.

For the past few months, Boeing and NASA have been analyzing data and checking the spacecraft’s fuel system valves to find out why they malfunctioned when trying to take off in August 2021.

“NASA worked alongside Boeing to survey the service module, drawing on the agency’s expertise in materials and fuel handling to better understand the potential cause of the problem,” said Steve Stitch, NASA’s Commercial Manned Flight Program manager.

Now, if all goes according to plan, the launch window for the first test flight to the International Space Station, dubbed OFT-2, will open in May 2022, and the exact date will be set for the spacecraft and station to be ready.

As previously reported by experts, the cause of problems during the first attempt to send the spacecraft on a test flight in August was the high humidity in the space base area. Chief engineer Michelle Parker said during a press conference that the problem was most likely due to moisture entering an oxidant forming nitric acid, which corroded the material.