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NASA's new Boeing spacecraft, the Starliner, is expected to fly to the International Space Station (ISS), marking a significant advancement in engineering innovation. While SpaceX launched its flight test in 2020, Boeing - operating with a different, more traditional approach - is still four years behind. However, the enduring process of design and development, filled with inevitable challenges and triumphs, has led to this critical stage. The completion of this Boeing project signals upcoming competition for SpaceX, predicted to drive overall costs down — an essential aspect for space agencies worldwide, including the UK Space Agency, that aim to ensure taxpayer funds' optimal utilization in sending astronauts to the ISS. #SpaceInnovation #NASA #SpaceX #Boeing

Why is the launch of Boeing’s Starliner significant? This will be Starliner’s first crewed test flight. If the mission is successful, Boeing will become the second private firm to be able to provide NASA crew transport to and from the ISS, alongside Elon Musk's SpaceX. Starliner is a partially reusable crew capsule, officially known as CST-100 (crew space transportation). The crew module can be reused up to 10 times, with a six-month turnaround. The other is the service module — the powerhouse of the spacecraft — which supplies electricity, propulsion, thermal control, air, and water in space. After NASA retired its space shuttle fleet in 2011, it invited commercial space companies to help it transport astronauts and cargo to the ISS. Two companies got the contracts: SpaceX and Boeing. While SpaceX has been ferrying astronauts to and from the ISS since 2020, Boeing is yet to successfully launch its first crewed flight, something which may change on Tuesday. #Space #boeing #nasa https://lnkd.in/ggz8Ju37

"SpaceX was in its natural environment. Boeing's space division had never won a large fixed-price contract. Its leaders were used to operating in a cost-plus environment, in which Boeing could bill the government for all of its expenses and earn a fee. Cost overruns and delays were not the company's problem—they were NASA's. Now Boeing had to deliver a flyable spacecraft for a firm, fixed price. Boeing struggled to adjust to this environment. Regarding complicated space projects, Boeing was used to spending other people's money. Now, every penny spent on Starliner meant one less penny in profit (or, ultimately, greater losses). This meant that Boeing allocated fewer resources to Starliner than it needed to thrive. "The difference between the two company’s cultures, design philosophies, and decision-making structures allowed SpaceX to excel in a fixed-price environment, where Boeing stumbled, even after receiving significantly more funding," said Lori Garver [deputy administrator of NASA from 2009 to 2013]." https://lnkd.in/eKe52Ada

STUCk IN SPACE: Boeing Starliner no end date insight, the return date delayed again as NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration races to fix thrusters and plug leaks amid fears its astronauts will be 'stranded in space' The Starliner spacecraft will be stuck at the International Space Station with two astronauts onboard for even longer than expected, as the company and NASA scrambles to fix issues with its thrusters and plug helium leaks. Officials from the aerospace company and NASA announced on Tuesday that the spacecraft is now not expected to return until at least June 26. It had originally been scheduled to return on June 14, and was last week delayed through June 22. But by June 26, astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams would have spent about 20 days in space - more than double the roughly eight days they had originally planned for. The crew has at least four months of reserves for food and other consumable items, NASA officials have said.Starliner can also ferry the crew members back to Earth in the case of an emergency, according to Stich. But the ship can only stay docked on the ISS for a total of 45 days due to limited fuel on the orbit laboratory, and Mike Leinbach, the former launch director for the space shuttle at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, says the mission managers won't let the spacecraft return to Earth with astronauts onboard if it could pose any risk to them. 'This one has a few more issues that I would have expected,' he said, according to the Journal. 'We hoped for a clean flight, but we didn't get one and we're dealing with it,' he said, reassuring reporters: 'They'll figure this out.' The crew has enough food rations for at least four months on the International Space Station Stay tuned Pacific Joint Space Facility Pty Ltd #boeing #starliner #NASA #Astronauts #InternationalspaceStation #solutions /#tetechnologyfailures #Lessonstolearn##NextNextGentech #stuckinspace #pacificjointspacefacility #industry .#spaceindustrynews #johnmoody

The little off world helicopter that could, still can. Always nice to see NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration and European Space Agency - ESA missions that exceed their planned mission lifetimes. Voyager, SOHO, Spirit, Opportunity, and more. Approximately 87% of U.S. military and civil satellites and approximately 75% of commercial satellites met or exceeded their design life. The design life for commercial satellites increased by greater than 50% for satellites with cost <$300M and has remained flat for satellites with cost >$300M. https://lnkd.in/g7vdGmty #space #nasa #esa #spacetechnology #spaceindustry

Nasa overlooked minor leak in Boeing starliner pre-launch: Report Full Article Link >>> https://lnkd.in/ga4MsyzA Welcome To Latest IND >> Fastest World News Prior to the launch of the Starliner rocket on June 5, Nasa and Boeing officials were aware of a helium leak but deemed it too minor to pose a safety risk to the spacecraft. However, once in orbit, the Starliner developed four additional helium leaks, rendering one […] . . Latest IND . . . . #trendingnews #newstrending #trendingtopicnews #lifestyle #business #news #healthylifestyle #smallbusiness #supportsmallbusiness #lifestyleblogger #luxurylifestyle #businessowner #businesswoman #smallbusinessowner #businessnews

Nasa overlooked minor leak in Boeing starliner pre-launch: Report Full Article Link >>> https://lnkd.in/gbK7HCxP Welcome To Latest IND >> Fastest World News Prior to the launch of the Starliner rocket on June 5, Nasa and Boeing officials were aware of a helium leak but deemed it too minor to pose a safety risk to the spacecraft. However, once in orbit, the Starliner developed four additional helium leaks, rendering one […] . . Latest IND . . . . #trendingnews #newstrending #trendingtopicnews #lifestyle #business #news #healthylifestyle #smallbusiness #supportsmallbusiness #lifestyleblogger #luxurylifestyle #businessowner #businesswoman #smallbusinessowner #businessnews

#KenBowersox #SteveStich #NASA #MarkNappi #Boeing #Starliner "Boeing and NASA are moving forward with the launch of the company’s Starliner capsule, set to carry U.S. astronauts for the first time, despite a “stable” leak in the spacecraft’s propulsion system. “We are comfortable with the causes that we’ve identified for this specific leak,” Mark Nappi, Boeing vice president and manager of the company’s Commercial Crew program, said during a press conference on Friday. “We know we can manage this [leak], so this is really not a safety of flight issue,” Nappi added. Boeing is now targeting June 1 for the first crewed launch of its spacecraft, with backup opportunities on June 2, June 5 and June 6. The mission, known as the Starliner Crew Flight Test, is intended to serve as the final major development test of the capsule by delivering a pair of NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station before flying routine missions. Starliner’s crew debut has been delayed by years, with SpaceX’s competing Dragon capsule flying astronauts for NASA regularly since 2020 under the agency’s Commercial Crew program. To date, Boeing has eaten $1.5 billion in costs due to Starliner setbacks, in addition to nearly $5 billion of NASA development funds. NASA and Boeing called off a launch attempt on May 6 about two hours before liftoff due to an issue detected with the Atlas V rocket that will lift Starliner into orbit. Atlas V is built and operated by United Launch Alliance, or ULA, a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin. During the press conference Friday, a ULA official noted that the rocket’s problematic valve was replaced a week after the launch was postponed. But after calling off the launch attempt, a “small” helium leak with Starliner was identified, causing Boeing and NASA to begin new assessments of the capsule and its safety for the mission. NASA Associate Administrator Ken Bowersox, one of the agency’s most senior officials, explained to the press on Friday that “it’s taken a while for us to be ready to discuss” the helium leak problem. “It’s so complicated. There’s so many things going on. We really just needed to work through it as a team,” Bowersox said. After analysis, NASA and Boeing believe the source of the leak is a seal in one of the flanges of the spacecraft’s helium propulsion system. In testing after the May 6 postponement, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program manager Steve Stich said that teams “have seen that the leak rate isn’t changing.” Stich explained that the plan is to monitor the leak in the lead-up to launch and, after reaching the International Space Station, reassess the leak rate. “We don’t expect the other [seals] to leak, and I think that’s a confidence that we have,” Stich said. Stich also emphasized that NASA has “flown vehicles with small helium leaks” before, including “a couple of cases” from missions flown by the Space Shuttle and SpaceX’s Dragon. ..."

A Boeing official said Monday that the company has delayed a crewed flight test of its Starliner spacecraft until at least March 2024. The manager for the company's Commercial Crew Program, Mark Nappi, said the spacecraft should be ready for flight by early March, or seven months from now. However, Nappi said that date is conditional on availability of an Atlas V rocket, provided by United Launch Alliance (ULA), and an opening in NASA's visiting vehicles schedule. According to NASA's internal schedule, there is a docking port available from early April to late June 2024 on the International Space Station. So barring a schedule change to delay a cargo mission, the likely no-earlier-than launch date for Starliner's crewed test flight is April 2024. Boeing has reported $1.1 billion in losses for its Starliner program, which is one of two vehicles that NASA helped support development of to fly astronauts to the space station. The other vehicle, SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft, flew its crew test flight in May 2020. Dragon's seventh operational mission, Crew-7, is due to launch in about two weeks. Read more about Starliner’s difficult development path below via Ars Technica:  https://trib.al/AkOzxoS

It's simply incredible that Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 have travelled BILLIONS of miles into outer space! Hurtling ever deeper into interstellar space, Voyager 2 has been out of touch ever since an accidental command more than a week ago that tilted its antenna away from Earth. We'll be keeping our fingers crossed that the automatic reset in October can restore communication with earth. https://lnkd.in/gVn64vpk Learn more about our aerospace engineering services here: https://creaninc.com/ #Aerospace #AerospaceEngineering #NASA #Voyager2