Boeing Starliner Orbital Demonstration Mission

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https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/7Gzz94qOThc

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/21X5lGlDOfg

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Scrub

"An oxygen relief valve on the rocket's Centaur second stage is giving them some problems so standing down out of "an abundance of caution."

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Scrub

"An oxygen relief valve on the rocket's Centaur second stage is giving them some problems so standing down out of "an abundance of caution."

Delayed till May 17? Incredible. They're a corporation, not a government agency.

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Boeing Starliner has slipped until Tues, May 21, at 4:43 pm for the launch of their Crewed Flight Test.

The reason for this latest delay is a helium leak discovered inside the spacecraft's service module.

The rate of the leak is thought to be within acceptable limits for flight, but they want to be certain.

I'm starting to think Starliner is cursed



When Commercial Crew started, SpaceX were the crazy Science-Fiction Nuts, while Boeing was the Evil Empire. I was 100% pro-SpaceX.

But my Schadenfreude has run dry and turned to dust. I just feel sorry for Boeing now.

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SpaceflightNow says:

"The Crew Flight Test of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is no longer targeting Saturday, May 25. We're awaiting official word from NASA and Boeing on the next possible launch date and for more information regarding the path forward on the helium leak."

The poor cursed Starliner! Boeing has really got to start praying to better gods!



Or at least fire most of the ivy-league MBAs in the C-suite and bring back engineers to positions of power. Boeing will probably never gain back the institutional knowledge and culture they've lost, qualities that once made Boeing the world's leading aerospace company. But put people who know what they are doing back in charge, not MBAs who think they can just hire and fire whatever expertise they need as cheaply as they can.

https://x.com/SpaceflightNow/status/1792964760708981124

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Eric Berger isn't happy with NASA either.

https://x.com/SciGuySpace/status/1793032980589400080

"Sorry, NASA, but you've been doing a terrible job of providing updates on Starliner delays. This is a crewed mission. It really really matters. Already the 25th is off the table. There are rumors of longer delays. Space press has been asking for briefings for days. Do better."

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Eric Berger just got this from NASA

It really sounds to me like they might have found some bigger problems than the slow helium leak they referred to earlier. The fact that they seem reluctant to talk about it makes the conspiracy theorist in me go "hummm..."

[Image: GOJZFixWQAAwV-F?format=jpg&name=small]

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Eric Berger just received this from NASA

So the possibility is developing that both Starliner and Starship might launch on the same day!

[Image: GOOR1lNWgAAGh5D?format=jpg&name=medium]

nsNS

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Those astronauts have a lot of guts, if after all this, they're still gung-ho about going up in this cursed thing that seems perpetually plagued with "one more lingering problem" cropping up or that got missed. A delay of two more years would be fine with me if in their shoes -- maybe by then they'd re-select somebody else as the guinea pig.