Boeing’s latest potential scandal is out of this world – literally.
Its Starliner spacecraft – which carried two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) last week – is unable to undock after several faults were found on the ship.
Teams have discovered five different leaks in the craft’s propulsion system which would navigate the craft through space as it returns to Earth.
The astronauts were set to return on June 14, but that has been delayed until June 22 while Boeing and NASA scramble to fix issues, leaving the astronauts stranded until then.
Now, experts have said that NASA could be forced to launch a rescue mission that would be a highly embarrassing blow for the embattled Boeing which is dealing with spate of issues plaguing its commercial jets.
Its Starliner spacecraft – which carried two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) last week – is unable to undock after several faults were found on the ship
Teams have discovered five different leaks in the craft’s thruster systems which would allow it to navigate through space as it returns to Earth
A Boeing spokesperson told DailyMail.com: ‘The integrated NASA-Boeing Starliner Mission Management Team is monitoring the overall health of the spacecraft and adhering to our mission flight rules.
‘Even with this smallest helium leak discovered after docking before the system was closed, we determined we have approximately 70 hours of free flight activity and continue to have full redundancy in all critical systems.’
DailyMail.com has contacted NASA, but the agency refused to comment on if a possible rescue mission could take place.
Problems with Boeing’s commercial jets, including turbulence, mechanical issues and tailstrikes, have cost the company at least $3 billion.
And NASA awarded Boeing a $4.2 billion contract to build Starliner as a taxi for astronauts to the ISS.
NASA previously pushed the return of Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to June 18, but on Friday revealed their stay will be again extended.
‘The extra time allows the team to finalize departure planning and operations while the spacecraft remains cleared for crew emergency return scenarios within the flight rules,’ NASA and Boeing said in a statement.
Boeing’s Starliner can only stay docked on the ISS for a total of 45 days due to limited fuel on the orbit laboratory – it is unclear what NASA has planned if the time is exceeded.
But if the ground teams deem the capsule space worthy, astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will board the craft for another 24-hour trip through space and back to Earth.
Starliner was previously set to launch on May 6, but teams detected a valve leaking helium and scrubbed the mission.
Engineers suspected that the issue came from a defective rubber seal the size of a shirt button, and said that even if the leak worsens, it could be managed in flight – and set the next launch for June 1.
However, Starliner was again plagued with misfortunate when the capsule was automatically halted with minutes to go before liftoff by a computer-abort system.
Astronauts Butch Wilmore (L) and Suni Williams (R) were set to return on June 14, but that has been delayed until June 22 while Boeing and NASA scramble to fix issues, leaving the astronauts stranded until then
The issues have sparked concerns among experts who fear the two astronauts could be stuck on the ISS until a rescue mission is sent
The postponement was triggered by computers on the Atlas V rocket’s launchpad that coordinate the final moments before liftoff, but the Starliner capsule appeared healthy, officials said.
The issues sparked concern among a NASA contractor who urged the American space agency to ‘re-double safety checks and re-examine safety protocols to make sure the Starliner is safe before something catastrophic happens.’
Erin Faville, president of ValveTech, raised concerns about the June 6 launch, telling DailyMail.com: ‘I warned. I will choose to let it play out.’
Starliner took off at 10:52am ET from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida last week with the same leak that forced a scrub in May.
Hours after separating from the Atlas rocket, NASA revealed the capsule had sprung two more leaks.
A fourth leak was found after docking on June 6 and the most recent hit on June 10.
In addition to the helium leaks, four thrusters malfunctioned during the flight.
The issues have sparked concerns among experts who fear the two astronauts could be stuck on the ISS until a rescue mission is sent.
‘Good news is that they are on the ISS and not like the Apollo 13 trying to get home from the moon,’ Rudy Ridolfi, Former Space System Commander and Space Technology Acquisition Manager, told DailyMail.com.
‘But I wouldn’t be surprised if someone at NASA is getting a SpaceX Dragon capsule ready for a rescue mission.’
Elon Musk’s company has inked contracts with space agency to shuttle astronauts to and from the ISS, performing 10 missions since 2020.
Katsuo Kurabayashi, professor of aerospace engineering at New York University said: ‘Given the current situation with the Starliner, it is possible that NASA could decide to use an alternative spacecraft, like SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, to bring the astronauts home safely.
Starliner took off at 10:52am ET from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida last week with the same leak that forced a scrub in May
‘The final decision would depend on the severity of the helium leaks, the feasibility of repairs, and the logistics of arranging another spacecraft for the return mission.’
Mike Gruntman, professor of astronautics at the University of Southern California, also said that ‘it is more likely that SpaceX would be able to provide an additional launch in the foreseeable future to bring the astronauts back.’
‘It is highly unfortunate that Boeing’s Starliner, after so much delay with its flight, continues to face problems,’ Gruntman continued.
‘For decades, Boeing was one of the most admired aerospace and defense companies. It is a true national tragedy.’
While both NASA and Boeing did not seem concerned about the initial leak, but Gruntman suggested that the problems stemmed from manufacturing issues.
‘Multiple similar issues – helium leaks – with seemingly similar components, as reported in the press, point to a systemic problem with design or workmanship or testing or system engineering or a combination thereof,’ he explained.
Ridolfi also noted that the leaks and thruster malfunctions would ‘be very difficult to fix in space.’
‘The last thing you want to do is maintenance in orbit,’ he continued.
‘Boeing has had consistent problems with its Starliner, regardless of the delays. We are seeing the same the same components have the same problems.
‘There is no third independent verification and validation (IVV) doing follow-ups on self-inspections.
‘This is a cost-cutting measure, but without enough oversight problems are going to crop up.’
Starliner’s issues follow a slew of problems plaguing Boeing commercial planes.
A Boeing plane experienced a rare Dutch roll at 32,000 feet mid-flight last month, which resulted in the aircraft being taken out of service.
The Southwest Airlines flight, Southwest Flight 746, was flying 175 passengers from Phoenix to Oakland on May 25 when it experienced the terrifying Dutch roll.
A Dutch roll is the name given to the combination of a yawing motion when the tail slides and the plane rocks from wingtip to wingtip. It is said to mimic the movement of a Dutch ice skater.
In the same month, Singapore Airlines Flight SQ321 experienced fatal ‘turbulence’ that involved proximity to tropical thunderstorms.
The Boeing 777 plane operated by Singapore Airlines left London’s Heathrow airport at 10:17pm local time with 211 passengers and 18 crew on board.
However, the turbulence caused several injuries and one death – it is unclear of the Boeing jet experienced an issue or it was a natural event.
And just last week, an Air Canada Boeing plane bursts into flames seconds after take-off.
