The Boeing starliner has been facing a hell of failure due to severe technical problems.
It seems a flexible flight to the ISS and back won't be reliable with the capsule.
Let's get this straight; NASA challenged private companies ten years ago to create a concept
for a spacecraft that could transport U.S astronauts and that of other countries to
and from the International Space Station.
In 2014, one of the beneficiaries of these contracts was SpaceX and Boeing.
Thus, it was like a contest to discover which companies could accomplish NASA's mission.
Thanks to the cutting-edge Crew Dragon vehicle and Falcon 9 rocket, SpaceX already had a
successful launch ten years after it was founded.
On the other hand, the CST-100 Starliner, a spacecraft made by Boeing, has had difficulty
taking off the two space companies operating side by side, and their methods and concepts
differ greatly.
So how did SpaceX get everything right with the Crew Dragon vehicle, which has been flying
to space without issues, just like an eagle, while Boeing starliner sits back through sluggish
designs without any process of ducking the ISS insight?
Let's find out.
Today, we will uncover everything you need to know about the ongoing starliner failure
and how SpaceX happens to finally take over and be awarded a success crown through the
breakthrough of the crew Dragon capsule.
First things first, what are all these rumors about the Boeing starliner?
The Boeing CST-100 Starliner is a two partially reusable spacecraft built to take people to
the International Space Station and other areas in low-Earth orbit.
It was made by Boeing for NASA's Commercial Crew Program.
The spacecraft has a crew module that can be used more than once, but the service module
will only be used once.
The capsule has a diameter of 4.56 m, which is slightly bigger than SpaceX's Dragon 2.
The Starliner can hold a crew of up to seven people and is designed to stay in the ISS
for up to seven months.
The Atlas V, Delta IV, Falcon 9, and Vulcan Centaur can all be used to launch the Boeing
capsule.
In late 2019, an Atlas V rocket launched an uncrewed Boeing Starliner into orbit.
The flight did not meet its test goals, so it returned to earth sooner than expected.
But NASA gave Boeing another chance to prove itself by allowing the Starliner do a second
test flight.
The second test flight, Boe-OFT 2, was supposed to take off in August 2021, but NASA again
faced another disappointment when the propulsion system valves didn't work.
It was heartbreaking news for NASA to accommodate, but Boeing couldn't help it because what has
happened has happened.
Air Starliner's development has been a long and bumpy road.
In 2019, the capsule could not be put in the right orbit because of a problem with the
clock.
After two days, it had to come back to earth.
Boeing then realized that other software problems had almost caused a serious issue with the
clock.
NASA gave a long list of recommendations and changes that needed to be made.
Again In 2021, as the rocket was about to be launched from the launch pad, a problem
with humidity caused a chemical reaction that prevented some of the capsule valves from
opening.
It was returned to the factory for inspection, where it stayed for 10 months.
The first time the Boeing starliner spacecraft docked at the international space station
was just a few months ago, but there were some problems.
But the company didn't give up.
They reelevated their hope and hopped to work on the module again.
After replacing the spacecraft's service module, Boeing targeted OFT-2 to occur in the early
part of May 2022.
OFT-2 ended up launching on May 19, 2022.
And that was a huge breakthrough for the capsule.
Boeing has to prove itself worthy and competent in the face of NASA since NASA has already
sunk in tax payer's money of about $5 billion in the project.
So NASA was expecting the best from Boeing.
Celebrations took over the atmosphere when the Boeing starliner finally found its way
to orbit.
At a press conference held after the launch, NASA and Boeing's officials quickly commended
their respective teams' efforts for the successful launch.
Steve Stich, manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, said, "Today was just a fantastic
day for commercial crew."
But unfortunately, it didn't all end there when we thought that Boeing had gotten everything
right this time around, not until the Starliner went on the wrong path in orbit - due to a
software issue, the capsule fired its thrusters improperly after it detached from the rocket,
which ultimately resulted in the spacecraft entering the wrong orbit.
This was another failure on the part of Boeing.
And that brings us to the thought that; If NASA had invested all these billions in SpaceX's
crew dragon rocket, they would have reduced the heartbreak faced by Boeing and achieved
their aim of settling on the ISS quickly.
How about SpaceX crew dragon headway to the ISS?
As of 2022, Crew Dragon will be the sole reusable orbital crewed spacecraft and human-rated
orbital transport spacecraft in the United States.
Its main purpose is to transport crews to and from the ISS as part of NASA's Commercial
Crew Program, replacing the Space Shuttle's crew orbital transportation capabilities,
which were canceled in 2011.
Crew Dragon is also used for commercial trips, some of which go to the ISS, and is expected
to be used to transport people to and from the future space station built by Axiom Space.
Hence, the crew dragon has been working all these while swiftly with no glitches.
However, what's the verdict on both SpaceX crew dragon and Boeing Starliner?
What is the cause of problems faced by Boeing starliner?
Diversity candidates were employed by Boeing to fill seats and be quiet.
Yet, they continue to push for relevance and wreck projects.
SpaceX has gotten lucky with hiring the greatest people and having a wonderful team spirit
and quality goals.
Boeing is being kind of stingy on spending dollars.
Recycling all things old and channeling funds to other projects.
While SpaceX is new and appears to be spending more money on building what works.
At this point, SpaceX seems to hold more promise for the future than either Starliner or SLS.
Despite Elon's many flaws and challenges Spacex got to face, Musk has done a great job with
SpaceX's main goal of building rocket launch systems.
So, we wouldn't be surprised to see humans travel to Mars and the Moon soon with SpaceX
rockets and capsules.
Boeing and SpaceX differ because Elon Musk is an engineer and entrepreneur who has earned
huge money.
In contrast, with profit as its first priority, Boeing is governed by NASA and the government.
As a company sponsored by the government, Boeing management's primary responsibility
is maximizing shareholders' profits.
And another thing is that as for Boeing, it seems their engineers still use the ancient
technology style, notwithstanding that we are in an era where everything is done with
a touch on the screen.
NASA may still be strongly committed to using old tech, but the biggest problem may be that
they are accustomed to doing things the old way, which everyone can see doesn't work,
thereby lavishing tax payer’s money.
Also, SpaceX is about tech flexibility and why the test procedure yields data much faster
and with less waste.
Instead of taking pride in one's work and achievements, this world now centers on fighting
to defend and hang onto one's profession.
Therefore, these companies are self-centered or may even be political cash cows that siphon
off some of that money.
Interestingly, a government-funded company like NASA has Remarks disabled; ignoring the
financing parties is the best strategy.
Even though SpaceX is still developing its rocket industry and may not yet be making
profit, one of its concrete services is to please its customers and, in the process,
make money to fund new and better rocket designs.
SpaceX rockets launch with commercial and private payloads every few weeks.
To save money, land, and reuse boosters.
Recently, SpaceX announced a price reduction for its space travel services.
What about the Starliner though?
Since it is taxpayer money that NASA is running their projects, there may not be much motivation
to think outside the box or creatively as their spacecraft travels from the cargo bay
to the launch pad without ever starting the engine.
Even though Boeing has made some interesting mistakes recently, like with the SLS, competing
with SpaceX has been hard.
That is why NASA has developed a growing trust in SpaceX.
Elon Musk's vision has inspired engineers all over the world, and he has given young
engineers the power to change the future.
Elon and his company are difficult to compete with because SpaceX has a policy of putting
talented people in charge as soon as they are ready.
SpaceX is so good because they have so much talent, and as long as they keep getting the
best people, they will always be on the cutting edge and unbeatable.
So how can Boeing improve and change the game of space travel, and receive accolades?
FYI Blue Origin BE 4 trial failure was a Total Disaster too!
And caused Million Dollars Lost, click on the video to know more about this.