Boeing Starliner Could Brick ISS Docking Port If Crew Abandons It
NASA is contemplating using SpaceX's Crew Dragon for astronaut return from the ISS due to Boeing's Starliner lacking autonomous undocking. Technical issues have delayed the Starliner's mission and Crew-9 launch.
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NASA is facing challenges with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, which currently lacks the autonomous undocking feature necessary for a safe return from the International Space Station (ISS). The agency is considering bringing astronauts Barry Wilmore and Suni Williams back to Earth using a SpaceX Crew Dragon, while leaving the Starliner to return empty. This decision is complicated by Boeing's intention to push a software update to the Starliner, which NASA fears could potentially render one of the ISS's docking ports inoperable. The Starliner mission has already been extended due to multiple technical issues, and NASA has delayed its decision on the spacecraft's return and the launch of the upcoming SpaceX Crew-9 mission. The Crew-9 launch may be postponed from August to September, possibly allowing for Wilmore and Williams to return on that mission. The current flight software on the Starliner is unable to perform an automated undocking, raising concerns about the spacecraft's flight-worthiness. The situation is further complicated by unresolved thruster failures on the Starliner, which Boeing has yet to address.
- NASA is considering using SpaceX Crew Dragon to return astronauts from the ISS instead of the Boeing Starliner.
- The Starliner lacks the necessary autonomous undocking feature due to a software update that could risk ISS docking port functionality.
- The Crew-9 mission launch may be delayed to accommodate the Starliner's situation.
- Technical issues have prolonged the Starliner's mission, with no clear return date established.
- Boeing has not clarified why the autonomous undocking capability was removed from the Starliner for the crew flight test.
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14 commentsIt shouldn't have been allowed to happen, period.
I get that what I said will not be popular, but this has been the consensus of every previous thread on this topic that I've seen - NASA is sorta playing the role of a systems integrator here, and assumes the liability for defective components from their subcontractors, and has the ultimate supervision authority to decide if something can or cannot fly.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Docking_System_S...
And adapters:
> The International Docking Adapter (IDA) converts older Russian APAS-95 docking systems to the International Docking System Standard
Imagine flying all the way and then realizing you forgot your adapter...
Jalopnik doesn't really seem like an authoritative source on this, especially since the hyperlink they included when they talk about the "Bricking" issue links to some article about simulated decompression sickness that has nothing to do with the ISS docking port...
This feels like the story they're telling isn't the real story because that's just basic, basic shit that gets beaten on all the time during development.
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