Boeing Removes A “Mile” Of Flammable Tape From Ship Ahead Of Maiden Astronaut Launch

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Despite facing multiple delays and logistical issues, Boeing is now poised to become NASA’s second private contractor for crewed missions to the International Space Station (ISS). The company, along with NASA, recently revealed details about their upcoming CFT crew flight test mission, scheduled for liftoff in May. This will mark Boeing’s inaugural crewed flight to the ISS, following the success of their Starliner’s orbital flight test (OFT) in 2022.

Since then, there have been significant changes on the ship. In fact, Mark Nappi, the lead of Boeing’s Starliner, stated confidently that the spacecraft’s parachute system and wiring tape, which were major issues that had caused the postponement of the originally planned CFT last year, have now been resolved.

Boeing Prioritizes Human-In-The-Loop Testing for Starliner, Emphasizes Executive

The Starliner’s first crewed orbital test flight was delayed by a year due to two major issues: its parachute system and the protective tape used on its wiring system. These problems were critical as the parachute system did not meet NASA’s redundancy standards and the tape was deemed flammable.

At the conference held today, Boeing’s Nappi announced that the company has conducted tests on the new parachute system and has incorporated the modifications on the current spacecraft as well as the upcoming Starliner mission, Starliner 1. If the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CFT) is deemed a success and NASA certifies the spacecraft, along with obtaining a license from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Starliner 1 will become Boeing’s inaugural operational crewed flight to the International Space Station (ISS).

Per NASA’s Steve Stich, the certification process is expected to occur later this year, once Starliner completes its two-week mission to the ISS in May and returns to Earth.

NASA Boeing Starliner — Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft pictured in NASA’s facilities in March 2022. Image: Boeing

According to Nappi, as CFT is the inaugural Starliner mission to have crew on board, Boeing will closely monitor how the environment is managed during the mission. This includes observing factors such as heat generation, humidity levels, and cooling system performance within the Starliner.

In addition to the parachute, Boeing was required to make adjustments to the wire harness tape on Starliner, as stated by the Boeing executive.

The tape issue. We went through the vehicle and we either removed or we put barriers in place or we found, proved, that the area that had the tape wasn’t susceptible to this issue. And so we’ve removed nearly a mile of tape from the vehicle, and mitigated about 85 to 90 percent of the areas that the tape is installed on the vehicle. We’ve closed all that paper, and we’re ready to go fly.

Boeing is currently in the process of fueling Starliner, with propellant loading expected to be completed by next week before the rocket is transported to the launch site. The company has also conducted various reviews, including an executive review with the CEO this week, to ensure that Starliner is prepared for its flight.

The upcoming Starliner reviews will involve NASA assessing Boeing’s advancements to guarantee that no urgent concerns persist with the spacecraft prior to its launch. The agency’s final review, scheduled for the end of next month, will be the last step before the flight.

Boeing is currently manufacturing three of the six ships for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP), which will transport NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the ISS. According to the Starliner lead, the approval for the remaining three ships should be in place by the end of this year.