The manned “Starliner” space capsule has reached its destination and docked with the ISS. Due to a series of problems, the project is years behind schedule – and this time, too, not everything went smoothly.
The “Starliner”, carrying two NASA astronauts, has docked at the International Space Station ISS – but on the way there it once again struggled with numerous technical problems. A helium leak had already been discovered before the launch, but according to NASA’s assessment it did not pose a danger to the flight.
However, two more leaks occurred during the flight. Later, four of the capsule’s 28 engines failed. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams managed to restart three of them, so there were enough safety reserves for the rest of the flight.
The “Starliner” missed the first opportunity to dock and circled next to the station for another hour. It was only on the second attempt that the spacecraft managed to dock with the ISS. All three leaks are now being monitored, valves have been closed and the spacecraft is still stable, NASA said.
Project is still behind schedule
The “Starliner” set off on its first manned test flight on Wednesday after years of delays. The test flight had previously been postponed several times due to various technical problems with the spacecraft and rocket. In May 2022, the “Starliner”, developed and built by the US aircraft manufacturer Boeing, completed its first successful unmanned flight to the ISS and spent four days there – an important test for the spacecraft.
In the future, it will transport astronauts to the ISS as an alternative to SpaceX’s “Crew Dragon” space capsule. However, due to a number of problems, the project is far behind schedule, while the “Crew Dragon” has been regularly bringing astronauts to the ISS for several years.
Two astronauts on board
“Starliner” sets off on first manned test flight
After years of delays, the “Starliner” space capsule from the US company Boeing has launched into space with humans for the first time. The rocket took off from the Cape Canaveral spaceport and is on its way to the ISS.
After many delays, the crisis-ridden spacecraft “Starliner” has set off on its first manned test flight to the International Space Station ISS. With NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Suni Williams on board, the spacecraft launched from the Cape Canaveral spaceport in the US state of Florida using an “Atlas V” rocket, as live images from the US space agency NASA showed.
“Here we go, Atlas! Here we go, Starliner! Good luck, Butch and Suni!” came the call from the control center shortly before the rocket took off.
“Two brave NASA astronauts are on their way on this historic first test flight of a brand new spacecraft,” said NASA boss Bill Nelson. Boeing’s “Starliner” marks a new chapter in American research. “Manned spaceflight is a bold task – but that’s why it’s worth it. It’s an exciting time for NASA, our commercial partners and the future of exploration.”
Test flights previously postponed several times
The test flight had previously been postponed several times due to various technical problems with the spacecraft and rocket, and had been canceled twice in recent weeks just minutes before a scheduled launch. Among other things, there were problems with a helium leak and a faulty computer system on the ground.
The “Starliner” – a partially reusable spacecraft that consists of a capsule for the crew that is around three meters high and a service module and, unlike the “Crew Dragon”, lands on the ground rather than on water – is expected to arrive at the ISS on Thursday. Wilmore and Williams are expected to stay there for around a week.
Williams, 58, and Wilmore, 61, have each been in space twice before. “It almost feels unreal,” Williams said in advance of her return to the ISS. The “Crew Dragon” space capsule currently docked at the ISS was moved to another docking station for the arrival of the “Starliner.”
Spare part is on board
In short notice, the “Starliner” also took an urgently needed spare part for the ISS: a urine pump that helps convert the astronauts’ urine into drinking water broke earlier than expected, NASA said. A quickly obtained spare part has now been packed into the “Starliner.”
In May 2022, the Starliner, developed and built by US aircraft manufacturer Boeing, completed its first successful unmanned flight to the ISS and spent four days there – an important test for the spacecraft.
During the first test without a crew in 2019, the “Starliner” did not even arrive at the ISS. In the future, it will transport astronauts to the ISS as an alternative to SpaceX’s “Crew Dragon” space capsule. However, due to a number of problems, the project is far behind schedule, while the Crew Dragon has been regularly bringing astronauts to the ISS for several years.
Boeing space capsule
“Starliner” reaches ISS for the first time
The crisis-ridden Boeing space capsule “Starliner” has made it to the International Space Station ISS for the first time. It docked during the night. Several previous attempts had failed.
After launching from the Cape Canaveral spaceport, Boeing’s “Starliner” has arrived at the ISS for the first time. The unmanned spacecraft docked at the human outpost around 400 kilometers above Earth during the night after a flight lasting just over a day.
The critical test for the crisis-ridden “Starliner” has thus been successful for the time being. The project is more than two years behind schedule due to a number of problems.
Project is well behind schedule
Boeing’s spacecraft will be used as an alternative to SpaceX’s “Crew Dragon” space capsule to transport astronauts to the ISS. This should have happened a long time ago, but during an initial test in December 2019, the spacecraft did not make it to the ISS – partly because of a problem with the automatic ignition of the engines.
Last year, the mission was postponed several times – and then the “Starliner” finally had to go back to the workshop due to valve problems.
NASA speaks of “milestone”
NASA described the launch as a “milestone.” On board are over 300 kilograms of cargo, including supplies for the ISS crew. The “Starliner” is a partially reusable spacecraft consisting of a capsule for the crew and a service module that can be launched with a rocket. Once approved for the transport of people, it can carry up to four crew members to the ISS.
Test flight to ISS
Boeing’s “Starliner” misses orbit
It was supposed to be good news for the struggling US aircraft manufacturer Boeing – but the test flight of its “Starliner” spacecraft to the ISS failed. The capsule missed the correct orbit.
The unmanned test flight of Boeing’s new Starliner space capsule to the International Space Station (ISS) has failed after a serious error.
After the launch of a rocket with the unmanned space capsule on board at the US space station Cape Canaveral, a problem arose with the automatic ignition of the engines due to a timer that was running incorrectly. As a result, the spacecraft consumed so much fuel that it could no longer reach the orbit of the ISS.
Early return on Sunday
The spacecraft was scheduled to dock with the ISS for the first time on Saturday and return to Earth in eight days. On board is a doll called “Rosie” as an astronaut dummy, as well as Christmas treats and gifts for the ISS crew. The capsule is now scheduled to be returned to Earth on Sunday and land in the US state of New Mexico.
Boeing developed the “Starliner” for NASA. It is intended to bring American astronauts to the ISS in the future. NASA is currently dependent on Russian Soyuz rockets for manned missions. In 2011, it discontinued its own shuttle program after three decades. Since then, NASA astronauts have flown from the Russian space agency’s launch site in Kazakhstan. This cost the US space agency up to 86 million dollars (77 million euros) per flight.
Strategy change in US space policy
Under former US President Barack Obama, a change in strategy was introduced: instead of developing new rockets themselves, it was decided to hire private companies to do the work. Boeing and its competitor SpaceX subsequently received billions to develop manned space shuttles “Made in the USA”.
Both US companies are two years behind schedule, but both now appear to be almost finished with development. The first manned flight of the capsule, which has a diameter of 4.50 meters, was previously planned for next year. However, final tests such as the “Starliner” flight are still necessary before their space shuttles can be approved for manned space travel.
SpaceX test in March was successful
SpaceX has already completed a successful test flight to the ISS in March with its space shuttle “CrewDragon”, which is intended for manned missions. Also on board was a dummy, named “Ripley” after the main character in the “Alien” films. The dummies are equipped with sensors to replicate the flight conditions for real people.
The US aircraft manufacturer Boeing recently came under massive pressure due to the disaster surrounding its 737 Max jet. After two devastating crashes, the aircraft was banned from taking off. It is uncertain when it will be able to take off again.
“Starliner” capsule on its way to the ISS
Boeing’s troubled space program can finally report a success: A “Starliner” capsule launched on an unmanned test flight to the ISS. However, there were problems this time too.
The space shuttle was initially launched at 6:54 pm Eastern Time from the spaceport at Cape Canaveral in the US state of Florida. From then on, the unmanned “Starliner” needed a total of 32 minutes to reach a safe orbit around the Earth. It was powered by an Atlas 5 rocket, which was finally successfully separated from the capsule in various stages.
Two nozzles defective
When positioning the “Starliner”, only ten of the twelve correction nozzles worked, Mark Stich of the US space agency NASA said at a press conference after the launch. For the others, it must be determined whether it is the instruments that are causing the commands to arrive. “At the moment, we can carry out all maneuvers with the remaining correction nozzles.”
From Earth orbit to the ISS
From orbit, the “Starline” is approaching the International Space Station (ISS) and initially docked – a maneuver that is not expected to take place until Saturday night. But for now, the successful launch was a relief for NASA and the manufacturer Boeing – the mission had been marked by failures up to now.
In December 2019, a software error meant that a flight attempt had to be aborted before the docking maneuver with the ISS. Another launch last August had to be stopped during the countdown because valves did not open. It was only the third attempt that brought the hoped-for breakthrough.
“There will be a few more sleepless nights.”
Now the team is relieved. However, Boeing’s Mark Nappi warns against premature euphoria. The mission has four phases. “The first includes launch preparations and launch. And that went really well. Then the orbit and docking. And that will be another exciting day. So there will be a few more sleepless nights.”
The aim is to use the “Starliner” to bring both astronauts and cargo to the space station in the future. Even though the current mission is unmanned, a test dummy called “Rosie the Rocketeer” sits in one of the chairs. There is also food and other goods on board for the ISS crew.
US astronauts and cosmonauts reach ISS
Space is one of the few areas in which the US and Russia have continued to work together since the beginning of the Ukraine war around two years ago. Three US astronauts and one cosmonaut have now arrived on the ISS space station.
Three US astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut have arrived at the International Space Station ISS after their journey through space. The space capsule with the space station’s new occupants docked at the ISS.
After the hatch was opened, the new arrivals Matthew Dominick, Jeanette Epps and Michael Barratt from the USA and Alexander Grebenkin from Russia were warmly welcomed by the current ISS crew, as could be seen on the video broadcast by the US space agency NASA.
New crew to stay for half a year
The crew members who have now arrived will replace four of the seven current ISS occupants. After a transition phase of a few days, the four crew members from the USA, Denmark, Japan and Russia will return to Earth.
The new crew will work on the ISS for around six months, and various medical experiments are planned, including those involving stem cells. For Epps, Dominick and Grebenkin, this is their first space flight, and Barratt will be visiting the space station for the third time.
Success for space company SpaceX
As in the past, tech billionaire Elon Musk’s private space company SpaceX carried out the mission to replace personnel on the ISS space station. The so-called “Crew-8” took off on Sunday on board a “Crew Dragon” capsule with the help of a Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in the US state of Florida.
The flight had been postponed several times. It had originally been planned for February 22nd. This was the second time since the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the resulting tensions between the USA and Russia that astronauts from both countries went into space together. Space is one of the few areas in which both countries still work together.
Russia and USA continue joint flights to the ISS
The International Space Station is one of the few projects on which the USA and Russia are still working together. Both sides have now signed an agreement to continue joint flights to the ISS until 2025.
Russia and the USA have agreed to extend their agreement for joint flights to the International Space Station ISS. In July and December, both sides signed two additional agreements to continue the cross-flights until 2025, the Russian space agency Roscosmos announced.
The aim is to maintain the reliability of the ISS’s operations, Roscosmos explained. This will also ensure that at least one NASA astronaut and one Russian cosmonaut are on the station at any one time.
In the so-called cross-flights, a US astronaut flies to the ISS as part of the crew of a Russian spacecraft and vice versa. In September, two Russian cosmonauts and a US astronaut flew to the ISS on board a Russian Soyuz capsule from the Kazakh spaceport Baikonur.
Russia withdraws from ISS
The ISS, which has been orbiting the Earth since 1998, is one of the few areas in which Russia and the USA are still cooperating even after the start of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine in February 2022. Its operation was originally planned until 2024, but the US space agency NASA does not want to decommission it until 2030. However, Roscosmos had already announced in July 2022 that it would withdraw from the project after 2024. Instead, Moscow is planning its own space station.
President Vladimir Putin announced in October that the first module for the Russian space station would be launched into space in 2027. At the same time, he said that despite the recent setbacks, he would stick to the previous space program goals, including above all the Russian moon program.
Russia plans to leave the International Space Station (ISS) in 2024. This was announced by the new head of the space agency, Borissov. Cooperation with the USA has been repeatedly called into question in the course of the Ukraine war.
Russia plans to exit the International Space Station ISS after 2024. This was stated by the new head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, Yuri Borisov, at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Tensions between Moscow and Washington
“Of course, we will fulfill all our obligations to our partners, but the decision to withdraw from this station after 2024 has been made,” said Borisov. The former Deputy Prime Minister Borisov has been the head of the Russian space agency since mid-July, succeeding agency head Dmitry Rogozin.
Rogozin had recently repeatedly questioned cooperation with the USA in light of political tensions between Moscow and Washington in the wake of the war in Ukraine. After the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, the West imposed a series of sanctions against Russia. However, cooperation continued on the ISS.
Borissov said that construction of a Russian space station would begin before the exit. The ISS had recently become old and had repeatedly caused a stir due to breakdowns. Rogozin had previously not ruled out the possibility of detaching the Russian module from the ISS and continuing to operate it independently. He also hinted at the possible use of the station for military earth observation.
NASA: No official notification yet
The US space agency, NASA, said that Roscosmos had not yet officially communicated the decision. “We have not received any official notification from our Russian partners,” said Robyn Gatens, the ISS director based at NASA headquarters. She also made it clear that the US had no interest in ending its cooperation with Russia: the Russians, like all other parties involved, have always been good partners, and they want to continue that as agreed until the end of this decade.
US astronaut Kjell Lindgren spoke from the ISS itself: The crew has not yet received any official notification, he said. However, they will continue to work together successfully on the ISS to achieve scientific results and ensure the safety of the crew and the space station.
Following the war of aggression against Ukraine ordered by Kremlin leader Putin, Western countries have also imposed sanctions on the Russian space industry. The ISS is a joint project of the USA, Canada, Japan, the European Space Agency (ESA) and Russia. It is divided into a Russian and a US segment.
Moscow questions cooperation with ISS
Russia still has plans to work on the International Space Station (ISS) until 2024. What will happen after that is unclear. Russia could detach its module and use it for military earth observation.
In view of the war in Ukraine, Russia has questioned its cooperation in the operation of the International Space Station (ISS). “The decision on the fate of the ISS will depend largely on the situation in and around our country,” said the head of the Russian space agency, Dmitri Rogozin, to the Tass news agency. In the event of an exit, however, Moscow will inform its partners a year in advance.
Russia’s participation in the station is provisionally planned until 2024. Previously, Rogozin had not ruled out the possibility of disconnecting the Russian module from the ISS and continuing to operate it independently. He also hinted at a possible use of the station for military earth observation.
Russian space travel also sanctioned
The Russian government also wants to decide by mid-May whether it will continue to take Western astronauts to the ISS on its spaceships. Following the war of aggression against Ukraine ordered by Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, Western countries have also imposed sanctions on the Russian space industry.
Russia’s war and its consequences in space
The ISS was initiated as an international peace project – but now Russia is waging war. What does that mean for the future of the space station? And what for the seven astronauts on board?
Four Americans, two Russians and one German – that is the current crew on the International Space Station ISS. How is the international crew dealing with the war in Ukraine? And how is the German ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer, who flew to the ISS in November, doing? A press conference at which the astronaut actually wanted to answer journalists’ questions today was cancelled by the ESA.
“We get along well.”
Instead, Josef Aschbacher, the ESA Director General, provides information and explains that Matthias Maurer is doing well. In an interview with tagesschau.de, he talks about a phone call he had with him:
Mr Maurer says: ‘Don’t worry about me. We get on well.’ But he says that of course they in the space station also see what is happening here on the ground. That is very worrying. One message he wants to convey is that from the perspective of space you can see how fragile our beautiful planet is. It is incomprehensible that war is being waged here.
ISS planned a peace project
The ESA boss has left open what will happen to the International Space Station as a whole. The space station is operated by NASA, the Russian space agency Roscosmos and the European Space Agency (ESA), among others. “The system is very closely intertwined, we are dependent on each other,” Aschbacher explains. “That was exactly the purpose of the ISS when it was built, that it was a peace project between different nations, peoples and cultures and that worked very well for more than 20 years. Now we have a new situation.”
He does not go into more detail, but cooperation seems to be assured, at least in the short term. An immediate withdrawal by the Russians could be problematic, explains former astronaut Ulrich Walter: “That would be difficult because a central module of the space station, a kind of control module, is from the Russians. So if the Russians were to withdraw immediately, we would have relatively big problems. But we don’t need to worry about that at the moment, because the Russians have not said they are withdrawing.”
Connected in space
The example of the ISS shows how interconnected the cooperation between states in space is. SWR science editor Uwe Gradwohl gives examples: “American rockets fly with Russian engines. A company based in the USA markets the launches of the Russian Proton carrier rocket. The first stage of the Antares rocket is built in Ukraine, with Russian propulsion and launches from Florida.”
Since the end of the Cold War, ESA has always been careful to carry out joint projects with many players, be it the Americans, Russians or the Chinese. ESA astronaut Maurer took part in survival training for astronauts in China and flew to the ISS in a space capsule from the US company SpaceX. His predecessor Alexander Gerst launched into space with the Russians from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in 2014 and 2018.
Sanctions against Russia also affect Mars mission
Now states and space agencies like the ESA have to reorganize themselves as the sanctions against Russia take effect. In concrete terms, the European-Russian Mars mission “ExoMars” is currently in jeopardy. This autumn, a European Mars rover was supposed to launch from Baikonur on board a Russian Proton rocket.
“The Mars rover is an ESA project, but it also contains Russian hardware. And without the Russian landing platform, the rover cannot roll onto the surface of Mars,” explains science editor Gradwohl. Replacing the Russian part of the project with European developments is not possible any time soon. “Even the time until the next launch opportunity to Mars in 2024 is probably too short.”
“Chinese are now better than the Russians”
The Crimean crisis in 2014 already had long-term consequences for space travel. At that time, for example, the US Congress decided that US military and government payloads could no longer flow into space on rockets equipped with Russian rocket engines. However, a very long transition period until the end of 2022 was set.
The question of which alliances will form in space in the future is exciting. For example, are Russia and China getting closer? Former astronaut Walter does not believe that: “The Chinese have been copying Russian space technology since the 1960s and in the 1990s improved Russian technology to such an extent that they are now better than the Russians.” The Russians have always lacked money – unlike the Chinese, who have a lot of money. “They are massively expanding space travel. They are now really superior to the Russians, and in some cases even to the Americans, in space travel. They do not need partners,” says Walter.
ESA astronaut Matthias will probably return from the ISS in May – again on board a SpaceX capsule. Before that, his US astronaut colleague Mark Vande Hei was scheduled to make the return flight. He flew into space on board a Soyuz capsule last year. The plan was for him to fly back with the Russians. It will be interesting to see how this story ends.
NASA cancels test flight with “Starliner” spacecraft
The “Starliner” was supposed to transport astronauts long ago, but the project is far behind schedule. The first manned test flight has now had to be postponed again.
The eagerly awaited launch of the first manned Boeing “Starliner” rocket into space has had to be postponed due to technical problems. The test flight, which had already been postponed several times, will now be rescheduled for Friday at the earliest, Boeing announced.
The flight was aborted less than two hours before the evening countdown (local time) because a problem with a valve in the second rocket stage could not be fixed in time, NASA said in its live stream.
The CST-200 “Starliner” was to be launched on an “Atlas-V” rocket from the United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, from the Kennedy Space Center of the US space agency NASA in Florida and bring two astronauts to the International Space Station ISS.
The two NASA astronauts, Barry Wilmore and Suni Williams, left the “Starliner” capsule and returned to their crew quarters at the Cape Canaveral spaceport.
New start attempt on Friday
The new launch date is now set for Friday. The “Crew Dragon” docked at the ISS and moved to another docking station for the arrival of the “Starliner.”
In May 2022, the “Starliner”, developed and built by the US aircraft manufacturer Boeing, completed its first successful unmanned flight to the ISS and spent four days there – an important test for the spacecraft.
Prestige project for Boeing
After a series of crises in commercial aviation, Boeing is already facing intense public scrutiny and a comprehensive review of its quality control. With the “Starliner”, the company wanted to send a signal of success.
In order to save the program, which is years behind schedule, the planned costs have so far been exceeded by more than $1.5 billion. While Boeing is struggling, Tesla boss Elon Musk’s SpaceX has become a reliable partner for NASA in transporting space.
Three Americans and one Russian launched to the ISS
For the second time since the attack on Ukraine, astronauts from Russia and the USA have flown into space together. On board the ISS, they will work together on research projects and grow “organoids.”
After several postponements, three US astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut have launched on a six-month mission on the International Space Station ISS. A “Falcon 9” rocket from tech billionaire Elon Musk’s private US space company SpaceX lifted off late Sunday evening (local time) from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
A launch attempt planned for the previous day had been cancelled due to strong winds. This was not the first postponement of the flight: the launch had originally been planned for February 22nd.
With the start of the mission, astronauts from both countries flew into space together for the umpteenth time, despite the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and the resulting immense tensions between the USA and Russia.
Space flight for research purposes
NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, their colleague Jeanette Epps and cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin are expected to arrive at the ISS on Tuesday morning (CET). For Epps, Grebenkin and Dominick, this will be their first space flight, and Barratt will be visiting the ISS for the third time.
There are currently seven crew members on board the space station. In a few days, four of the existing crew members, from the USA, Denmark, Japan and Russia, will return to Earth.
The new crew wants to conduct experiments on the International Space Station with stem cells and grow so-called organoids. Such tiny organs can be used to research organ diseases, among other things.
First private space mission launched
The private space company SpaceX has sent paying guests to the International Space Station for the first time. Three businessmen and a former NASA astronaut are scheduled to dock with the ISS early Saturday morning.
The first private space mission, Axiom AX1, took off for the International Space Station ISS at exactly 11:17 am local time. The launch of the SpaceX “Falcon 9 rocket” with the crew capsule “Dragon” at its top from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida went smoothly under a bright blue sky. As planned, the capsule with the four astronauts on board separated from the rocket shortly after takeoff, which then successfully returned to Earth.
20 hours through space
The four astronauts – three businessmen from the USA, Canada and Israel, as well as a former NASA astronaut – are now on a 20-hour journey through space to the International Space Station. They are scheduled to dock there early Saturday morning and be brought on board the ISS after the two-hour maneuver.
The four private citizens will then stay on the ISS for eight days and carry out various experiments – including cancer research, the aging process of cells and everything related to human life in space.
700 hours of training
It is the first space mission by the private Texas company Axiom in collaboration with SpaceX and NASA. Axiom plans to add its own module to the ISS in two years to enable private space travel and research. Axiom is planning well over 100 such missions in the coming years.
The three private astronauts trained around 700 hours for their eight-day trip into space and each paid 50 million US dollars.
US-Americans and Russians fly to the ISS
Even in times of political tension, we can achieve something together, says US astronaut Rubio before launching to the International Space Station. He did not speak to his two Russian crew colleagues about the war in Ukraine beforehand.
Despite the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, an American and two Russians are flying together to the International Space Station (ISS) today. The three are scheduled to take off from the Russian spaceport Baikonur in the Republic of Kazakhstan on board a Soyuz rocket this afternoon. This was announced by the Russian space agency Roscosmos.
It is the first joint flight since the start of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine on February 24. In October, Russian cosmonaut Anna Kikina is also scheduled to fly to the ISS from the USA. Both flights are intended to give hope that cooperation on the ISS will continue. Russia recently announced that it wants to withdraw from the project after 2024. No exact date has been announced so far.
Supplies on board
In addition to the crew, there are also 120 kilograms of supplies for the ISS on board the Soyuz capsule – for example hygiene and medical items, scientific equipment and the astronauts’ personal belongings. For the Russian cosmonaut Sergei Prokopyev, this is the second flight to the ISS, and for his colleague Dmitri Petelin and US astronaut Frank Rubio, this is the first time.
“The program is quite full – in addition to the rapid docking, five spacewalks are planned,” Prokopyev said before the start of the 68th ISS mission. 48 experiments are planned – including one with a 3D printer in zero gravity. Various figures are to be printed out of different materials.
The three do not talk about the war
“It’s an honor for me to follow in the footsteps of previous astronauts,” said NASA astronaut Rubio. Space travel is an opportunity to achieve something together, even in times of political tension.
Apparently the crew did not talk about the war beforehand. All three made it clear that they would miss their families most of all during the six months they would be on the ISS.
The commander of the 67th expedition, Oleg Artemyev, the cosmonauts Denis Matveyev and Sergei Korsakov, the NASA astronauts Bob Hines, Kjell Lindgren, Jessica Watkins and the Italian Samantha Cristoforetti from the European Space Agency ESA are already on the ISS. They are orbiting around 400 kilometers above the Earth.
NASA and Roscosmos cooperate
Back to the ISS together
US astronauts and Russian cosmonauts will fly to the International Space Station together again in the future – sometimes rockets will be launched in Baikonur, sometimes in Florida. This is intended to ensure their presence on the ISS.
The space agencies of the USA and Russia are working more closely together again. From September onwards, flights to the International Space Station ISS will take place with a mixed crew in Russian and US capsules.
Roscosmos said the agreement was in the interests of both countries and would deepen cooperation in the area of the ISS. This would ensure that in the event of delayed or cancelled rocket launches, there would always be at least one Roscosmos and one NASA member on the ISS. NASA said the decision was made for security reasons and to ensure the “US presence in space.”
Unusual timing?
The agreement was made public shortly after RussianPresident Vladimir Putin replaced the head of Roscosmos. The previous head ofthe agency, Dmitry Rogozin, had taken a confrontational stance towards the Westsince the beginning of the Ukraine war. He threatened to withdraw from the ISSand described cooperation with the West as “impossible”.
SpaceX now also flies cosmonauts
In September, astronaut Frank Rubio is scheduled to launchfrom the Baikonur Cosmodrome together with Sergei Prokopyev and Dimitri Petelinon board a Russian capsule.
Later, Russian cosmonaut Anna Kikina will be brought to theISS from Florida together with two US and one Japanese astronaut. She will bethe first female cosmonaut to launch into space on a SpaceX rocket.
US astronauts had already flown into space on Russianrockets from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan by 2020. After that, mannedISS flights also took off from US soil again.
Soyuz capsule launched for retrieval operation
In mid-December, astronauts on the ISS discovered a leak intheir return rocket – they have been stuck ever since. An unmanned RussianSoyuz capsule has now launched to the space station earlier than planned tobring it back to Earth.
An unmanned Soyuz rocket has launched on a return mission tothe International Space Station ISS. The Soyuz MS-23 took off from thespaceport in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on Friday morning, as live images from theUS space agency NASA showed. The spacecraft is scheduled to dock with the ISSon Sunday and bring three astronauts stranded on the space station back toEarth in September.
The launch and entry into orbit of the spacecraft “wentnormally,” said the Russian space agency Roscosmos. Docking with the ISSis scheduled for February 26 at 1:01 a.m. GMT (2:01 a.m. CET).
Soyuz MS-23 was originally scheduled to launch in March
Originally, US astronaut Frank Rubio and the two Russian cosmonauts Sergei Prokopyev and Dmitri Petel in were supposed to fly back to Earth in the Soyuz MS-22 space capsule at the end of March. However, this was apparently damaged in mid-December by a small meteorite that caused a leak in the spacecraft’s cooling system. The mission of the three astronauts was extended by six months due to the breakdown. The Soyuz MS-23 space capsule wasactually only supposed to launch to the ISS in mid-March with three successors for Rubio, Propkolev and Petelin on board. However, due to the damage to theMS-22 capsule, the launch was brought forward and now took place without a crew.
The astronaut and the two cosmonauts will now spend almost a year on the space station. The capsules will usually remain docked at the station for the entire duration of the crew’s research mission in order to be able to return astronauts to Earth in the event of an emergency.
In addition to the three affected crew members, there are four other people on board the ISS: the Russian Anna Kikina, the US astronaut Nicole Mann and her compatriot Josh Cassada, and the Japanese Koichi Wakata. They flew into space in October as part of the so-called Crew-5 mission on board a space capsule belonging to the US space company SpaceX, owned by multi-billionaire Elon Musk.
Next week, the four participants of the subsequent Crew 6 mission – two US citizens, an Emirati and a Russian – will join them. They are also to arrive in a SpaceX capsule that is scheduled to launch from Florida on Monday. After a “handover” lasting several days, the Crew 5 astronauts will then be to return to Earth.
A glimmer of hope for rapprochement?
German astronaut Reinhold Ewald did not want to talk of a “rescue mission” in the case of the current Soyuz mission. “The crew is not stranded somewhere. Even if many systems fail, the Soyuz has ways and means of steering the capsule home.” In one way, the problems on Earth are greater than in space. “This is a major effort for Russian space travel. The Soyuz, which is being sent up unmanned, was intended for a crew. This is already a significant disruption to the sequence. Russia does not produce them in advance,” said the 66-year-old.
Ewald, who flew to the Russian space station “Mir” in a Soyuz capsule in 1997 and conducted research for three weeks, pointed to the pragmatic ongoing cooperation between NASA and Roscosmos despite the war in Ukraine: “The situation is bad enough. This is perhaps a glimmer of hope that we are coming closer together again.” He does not believe that Russia will soon withdraw from the ISS program. “Moscow only recently sent up a science module. I think that Russia will use its investment in the station for as long as possible.”
Since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine a year ago, space has been one of the few areas in which Russia and the USA still work together. The ISS has been in operation since 1998.
ISS astronauts will not return until September
In mid-December, astronauts discovered a leak in their capsule – and have been stuck on the ISS ever since. A new Russian space capsule is scheduled to launch next Friday to pick up the three men – and will not return until September.
The Russian space agency Roscosmos plans to bring three astronauts stuck on the International Space Station ISS back to Earth in September instead of next month – one year after their departure.
Roscosmos announced that the return flight with the Soyuz MS-23 space capsule is currently planned for September. Originally, the US astronaut Frank Rubio and the two Russian cosmonauts Sergei Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin were supposed to fly back to Earth with the Soyuz MS-22 at the end of March.
Micrometeorite probably caused the leak
After a leak was discovered in the spacecraft’s cooling system in mid-December, the astronauts who have been stationed on the ISS since September are now to be picked up by the Soyuz MS-23. According to Roscosmos, the Soyuz MS-23 is scheduled to launch next Friday from the spaceport in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, but will not return to Earth until September.
Both the US space agencies NASA and Roscosmos believe the leak was caused by a micrometeorite, a tiny particle of space rock that hit the capsule at high speed.
According to Roscosmos, the astronauts have responded “positively” to the extension of their mission on the ISS, and the longer stay in space does not pose any danger to their health.
No “Starliner” test flight again
The aviation group Boeing has again postponed the test flight of the “Starliner” space capsule, which was planned for today. The company is also aiming for an important role in space travel – and is therefore under pressure to succeed.
Boeing’s Starliner space capsule will not launch today either: The aviation company, which is also aiming for space, has cancelled the launch planned for 7:20 pm Central European Time. Boeing Space confirmed the media reports on Twitter. The reason is apparently problems with valves in the space capsule’s propulsion system. In a written statement, it says that the company is considering launching tomorrow.
“We are disappointed by today’s events and the need to once again postpone the Starliner launch,” said John Vollmer, manager of Boeing’s Commercial Crew Program. Manned spaceflight is a complex, precise undertaking that does not forgive mistakes. “The Boeing and NASA teams are taking the time they need to ensure the safety and integrity of the spacecraft and to achieve the mission’s goals.”
Keeping pace in a fast-growing, competitive industry
Today’s launch was actually supposed to be an important step for the US aviation group to keep up with the growing competition in the commercial space travel business. In addition to the aviation group, Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and British entrepreneur Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic are also involved. The industry is growing rapidly.
First attempt failed
With the second launch attempt, Boeing wanted to get its space program back on track. The spacecraft was to be launched on an Atlas V rocket from the Cape Canaveral spaceport in Florida. 24 hours later, the “Starliner” was scheduled to dock with the International Space Station ISS. The space capsule was to bring 180 kilograms of cargo to the station, including supplies for the current ISS crew. “Starliner” would then have returned to Earth with around 250 kilograms of cargo, including air tanks.
A first unmanned test flight of the “Starliner” capsule failed in 2019 due to software problems. The spacecraft was unable to reach the ISS at the time and returned to Earth prematurely.
Most recently, the date for the second flight to the ISS, originally scheduled for last Friday, had to be postponed until today. The reason was an incident when the new Russian laboratory module “Nauka” docked with the ISS. However, the weather forecast was not ideal for today’s attempt either.
Space business promises stable sales
For Boeing, the success of the “Starliner” is of enormous importance because, in addition to the aviation division with its aircraft fleet, the defense, space and security division, in which the “Starliner” project is also located, is expected to ensure stable earnings for the group in the future. The division already generates around a third of the group’s revenues. And in contrast to the aircraft division, which saw dramatic declines last year due to Corona, Boeing came through the crisis well with tanker aircraft for the military and commercial satellites and services in this area.
The “Starliner” project goes back to a decision made by the US space agency NASA ten years ago. NASA had discontinued its shuttle program due to high costs and after two accidents, was subsequently dependent on Russian rockets to get to the ISS. In order to become more independent from Russia again, the US government under then-President Barack Obama commissioned Elon Musk’s SpaceX company and the aviation giant Boeing to build space shuttles.
First cargo, then astronauts
SpaceX has already brought people to the ISS. In May 2020, two astronauts flew to the ISS for the first time on board the “Crew Dragon” capsule. In April 2021, four astronauts were on board for the trip to the station. As soon as the unmanned “Starliner” flight is successful, the Boeing capsule will also be able to transport people after further tests at the end of the year.
NASA deliberately wants to be able to rely on several companies for its space flights. A recent dispute over a NASA contract for a lunar lander showed that other competitors are also putting out feelers for billion-dollar contracts in space travel: Blue Origin, with Bezos at the helm, wanted to snatch a contract away from SpaceX and even offered to cover development costs running into billions. A complaint by Blue Origin against the NASA contract to SpaceX with the US General Audit Office GOA was rejected a few days ago.
Ten years after commissioning
First manned Starliner flight to the ISS
After years of delays, the Starliner space capsule from the US company Boeing is set to fly into space with humans for the first time. The rocket will launch early Tuesday morning from the Cape Canaveral spaceport.
Ten years ago, then NASA chief Charles Bolden announced a program with which the USA would again conduct its own flights to the International Space Station. The idea was not to be dependent on Russia when it came to transporting people and goods to the ISS after the end of the Space Shuttle era.
At this time, the US space agency did not want to develop and build the space shuttles itself, but commissioned the aircraft manufacturer Boeing and the company SpaceX owned by tech billionaire Elon Musk. From that point of view, Boeing seemed to have the advantage with its “Starliner” spacecraft. The company received an order worth more than four billion dollars, SpaceX 2.6 billion. But things did not go smoothly at Boeing, and there were crises, problems and delays.
Difficulties with the tests
During a first unmanned test in 2019, the Starliner did not even arrive at the ISS due to software problems. A second unmanned test flight was successful in 2022, but then numerous problems arose again, which further delayed a planned manned test flight.
Now, on Tuesday morning at 4:34 a.m. Central European Summer Time, the first manned Starliner flight is scheduled to take off from the Cape Canaveral spaceport in the US state of Florida, with NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams on board. The capsule is to be launched into space by an Atlas V rocket developed by Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
Boeing’s Starliner is a partially reusable spacecraft consisting of a crew capsule approximately three meters high and a service module, designed to carry four crew members and, unlike the Crew Dragon, lands on Earth rather than on water.
“We are ready, the spaceship is ready.”
The spacecraft is expected to arrive at the ISS on Wednesday, where Wilmore and Williams are expected to stay for about a week. “It almost feels unreal,” said 58-year-old Williams, who has already been on board the ISS twice, at a press conference beforehand. “We wouldn’t be here if we weren’t ready,” said her 61-year-old astronaut colleague Wilmore, who has also been in space twice. “We are ready. The spacecraft is ready and the team is ready.”
SpaceX won the race
Meanwhile, competitor SpaceX has long since overtaken Boeing. In 2020, its Crew Dragon successfully undertook its first manned test to the ISS, and since then astronaut transports have become routine. There are currently eight regular crew members on the space station, having arrived there with the Dragon.
ISS crew
Back on Earth
After almost half a year in space, part of the crew of the International Space Station is back on Earth. The four astronauts, from the USA, Russia and Japan, landed in the sea off the coast of Florida.
A space capsule has brought two women and two men back to Earth from the International Space Station ISS. On board a “Crew Dragon” of the private space company SpaceX, Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada from the USA, the Russian Anna Kikina and the Japanese Koichi Wakata landed in the sea off the coast of the US state of Florida, as live images from the US space agency NASA showed.
“That was an amazing ride,” Mann radioed after landing. “We’re glad to be home again,” said the commander of “Crew-5” – the fifth NASA flight of a “Crew Dragon” spacecraft with crew. Around 20 hours earlier, the space capsule had undocked from the ISS after the crew had to wait several days for the return flight due to bad weather.
First joint mission since attack on Ukraine
The “Crew-5” was launched in October from the Cape Canaveral spaceport. It was the first joint launch of NASA astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut from American soil since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
Also on board the ISS are the Russian cosmonauts Sergei Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin as well as NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and the crew of “Crew-6”, which arrived just a few days ago and consists of the Americans Stephen Bowen and Warren Hoburg, the Russian Andrei Fedyaev and the Emirati Sultan al-Nijadi.
The “Starliner” breakdown list has gotten longer
Boeing does not only develop airplanes, but also spaceships. But the “Starliner” is particularly impressive due to its mishaps. The launch date for the first manned flight has been postponed again.
The list of problems with the “Starliner” is long. In December 2019, it was supposed to fly to the International Space Station (ISS) for the first time without a crew. But the spacecraft never arrived at the ISS during this flight. Due to a software problem, the “Starliner” used up too much fuel too early, was unable to reach the ISS’s altitude and had to abort its flight after two days.
The repeat of the flight in August 2021 ended even before it began. The humid weather in Florida had caused valves in the fuel lines to corrode, so that several of these valves were jammed before takeoff. The “Starliner” rolled from the launch site back to the workshop.
It was only on the third attempt that the “Starliner” reached the ISS, two and a half years late. However, there was no crew on board for all of these flights. The first flight with people on board was actually planned for this summer – but the American space agency NASA and the Boeing company announced at a press conference that the launch would be postponed until spring 2024.
Parachutes and faulty adhesive tapes
What is not working and is preventing the one remaining, crucial qualification flight of the “Starliner” to the International Space Station are, on the one hand, fastenings for the parachutes and, on the other hand, adhesive tape. The fiberglass tape used to bundle electrical cables in the “Starliner” has proven to be flammable under very specific circumstances – this was not clearly noted in the aerospace engineers’ databases. The tape was installed in good conscience. Now it has to be removed.
With the parachutes, it turned out that connections between the parachute lines and the return capsule could be overloaded.
The design and material of the connection on the parachutes have already been changed. Whether this solves the problems will be determined during a test landing after being dropped from a high altitude, but this cannot be taken place until November. The unexpectedly flammable tape has already has been largely removed from the upper half of the space capsule or covered with non-flammable material. It will take a few more weeks to replace it in the lower half of the “Starliner.”
“Starliner” still a loss-making business for Boeing
If the next flight, the first with a crew, is successful, Boeing would be the second company alongside SpaceX to have the license to transport space personnel to the ISS. With an estimated 50 to 60 million dollars per passenger, this would be a lucrative business.
But it remains to be seen whether Boeing will ever make a profit with the “Starliner” with these impressive ticket prices. NASA agreed a fixed price of five billion dollars with Boeing for the development of the “Starliner” – but the many breakdowns and delays have resulted in costs of more than six billion dollars for Boeing.
NASA sticks to project
Nevertheless, the project will not be abandoned – not only because the next, decisive flight could make the project a success and make all the mishaps forgotten. But also because NASA started its commercial spacecraft program more than ten years ago so that one day it would no longer be dependent on just one type of spacecraft from one manufacturer.
Although SpaceX has been reliably bringing new crew to the ISS every six months, NASA believes that splitting this business between the two companies would make sense. Memories are still fresh of the years when the USA had no spaceships of its own to transport men and women to the ISS because the space shuttles were unusable and had to buy flight opportunities from the Russian space agency.
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