Boeing Starliner is designed to operate autonomously and previously completed two uncrewed flights. NASA and Boeing will work together to adjust end-of-mission planning and Starliner’s systems to set up for the uncrewed return in the coming weeks. Starliner must return to Earth before the Crew-9 mission launches to ensure a docking port is available on station.
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program requires spacecraft fly a crewed test flight to prove the system is ready for regular flights to and from the space station. Following Starliner’s return, the agency will review all mission-related data to inform what additional actions are required to meet NASA’s certification requirements.
NASA and SpaceX Crew-9 mission, originally slated with four crew members, will launch no earlier than Tuesday, Sept. 24. The agency will share more information about the Crew-9 complement when details are finalized.
NASA and SpaceX currently are working several items before launch, including reconfiguring seats on the Crew-9 Dragon, and adjusting the manifest to carry additional cargo, personal effects, and Dragon-specific spacesuits for Wilmore and Williams. In addition, NASA and SpaceX now will use new facilities at Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida to launch Crew-9, which provides increased operational flexibility around NASA’s planned Europa Clipper launch.
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Boeing engineers are useful for bringing the colostomy bags home.
So they will have to re-add the autonomous undocking and return software they purposefully didn’t include.
The same one they didn’t trust enough for the mission and that was missing developer owners because they were temporary contractors. Okay, best of luck to them.
If the capsule undocks and burns on return, it’s only property damage but nobody will get hurt. Which is the responsible thing to do.
Yeah, but if the capsule undocks and then launches itself at the ISS at ramming speed, things get pretty dicey for everyone on the ISS.
Once it unhooks itself, there should be a long delay before any thrusters fire, so that they can use the external arm to grab it and lob it clear of the station.
Indeed. I mentioned that as well some days ago: just undock the thing and grab it with the arm, throwing it away as far as possible. Once it’s some miles away, turn it on and start the descent.
At least gives them some room and reduces the probability of a collision, if anything goes wrong.