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Boeing has encountered another problem in the development of his CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, which could end up repelling this year's test flight, reports Washington Post .
Just like SpaceX's Crew Dragon, the Starliner is developed under a NASA contract to transport astronauts.
But the latest test of the crew capsule revealed an anomaly that could disrupt the timing of the next buffer abort test – an important step that Boeing must perform before its Starliner spacecraft can be certified for crewed flights.
According to a recent report by Ars Technica the company discovered an "anomaly" during a static test of its launch abandonment system, conducted late. June in order to prepare the Starliner for the pad abandonment test scheduled to take place later this summer.
Boeing has now confirmed the news, note Space News providing more details regarding what went wrong during the Starliner Test
The Company said she discovered a leak during a quick fire test launch engines, but that she was confident that the problem could be solved without the need to significantly change the design of the spacecraft. The test took place at the NASA White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico and started fairly well.
"The engines worked well and worked for the entire duration," said Boeing's representatives. "
" When stopping the engine, an anomaly occurred that caused a propellant leak, "noted the company's statement. 9012] Boeing suffers a setback with the Starliner buffer abort test https://t.co/CUTNLbO2yk
– NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) July 22, 2018
"We conducted a thorough investigation with assistance from our NASA and industry partners.We are confident that we have found the cause and are moving forward with corrective measures, "said representatives of Boeing. Flight safety and risk mitigation are the reason we conduct such rigorous testing, and anomalies are a natural part of any test program. "
The abandonment system of Launch is an essential component of the Starliner spacecraft.In the event of a rocket explosion, the propulsion of passengers is ensured.
The system includes four launch stop engines installed on the module. of service and who can quickly separate the spacecraft the Atlas 5 rocket in case of emergency. 19659003] As Space News points out, the engines, which are developed by Aerojet Rocketdyne, make us hypergolic propellers to generate 40,000 pounds of thrust each.
Although Boeing did not specify exactly the cause of the propellant leak, previous media reports that surfaced prior to the company's official statement attributed it to a valve. hydrazine in the propulsion system, which did not close properly at the end of the test
. From the spacecraft that has been tested, Boeing is also working on two other Starliner vehicles. One of them should conduct the unmanned orbital test flight announced later this year, while the other was designated for the first flight test in the year. next.
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