NASA gives Falcon 9 thumbs-up to launch Crew-9
(2024/07/29)
- Reference: 1722266109
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2024/07/29/nasa_approves_crew_9_launch/
- Source link:
NASA will be launching a crew atop a Falcon 9 in the coming weeks as the SpaceX workhorse returned to flight with three Starlink launches over the weekend.
Steve Stich, NASA's Commercial Crew Program manager, [1]said that the plan was to launch no earlier than August 18, although the launch window stretched into early September. "That's really driven by a pad turnaround for the Europa Clipper mission," he said.
The date is also driven by managers having a plan and date to bring back the crew of the Boeing Starliner, which has been enjoying [2]an extended stay at the International Space Station (ISS) while engineers work to understand the issues encountered during the test flight.
[3]
Astronauts Sunita "Suni" Williams and Barry "Butch" Wilmore blasted off for a short trip on the Starliner on June 5, arriving at the ISS on June 6 for what was meant to be an eight-day mission. Crew-8, meanwhile, including NASA 'nauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, have been on the space station since March conducting [4]scientific research including a study of brain organoids and another on plant growth.
[5]
[6]
Stich said: "The overall sequence is to undock and bring Butch [Wilmore] and Suni [Williams] home on Starliner, and then go launch the Crew-9 mission, and then do the direct handover, and bring Crew-8 home."
Stich also addressed the [7]upper-stage mishap experienced by SpaceX and said that a second hot-fire was planned to check out the modifications made following the incident, which left a payload of Starlink satellites in the wrong orbit after the second-stage engine failed due to a liquid oxygen leak.
[8]
He later confirmed that a "rigorous certification" of the changes would be performed, and the modifications baselined for Crew-9.
Stich also said Crew-10 would be launched in February 2025 "to give a little bit more time for Starliner to complete the mods after CFT [Crew Flight Test] so Starliner-1 will moved into the August slot next year."
[9]Boeing Starliner crew get their ISS sleepover extended
[10]SpaceX Falcon 9 set for comeback after upper-stage failure
[11]SpaceX asks the FAA: 'Can we launch our rockets again, please?'
[12]SpaceX's Falcon anomaly could have serious implications for the space industry
The confirmation that it will be at least a year before Boeing's Starliner will fly again is disappointing, but both inevitable and prudent considering the helium leaks and thruster issues that have plagued the test flight.
Sarah Walker, Dragon Mission Management director at SpaceX, noted the cause of the mishap – a cracked sense line that led to excessive cooling of the engine components on the stage, particularly those associated with the delivery of ignition fluid to the engine. Walker went on to explain that the line was redundant and could simply be removed – a design change that has already been tested at the company's McGregor facility.
Walker also confirmed that SpaceX would be switching Dragon recovery operations [13]to the dUS West Coast after parts of the spacecraft's trunk repeatedly survive reentry and [14]hit the ground .
[15]
The change will require that Dragon's deorbit burn is performed before the trunk is jettisoned, and whatever survives of the trunk will then splash down uprange of the spacecraft off the coast of California. ®
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[1] https://www.youtube.com/live/AZFUUEEjYqU?si=DiRsVjPGKkhR8W17
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2024/07/26/starliner_stay_onboard_iss/
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[7] https://www.theregister.com/2024/07/26/spacex_falcon_9_flight/
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[9] https://www.theregister.com/2024/07/26/starliner_stay_onboard_iss/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2024/07/26/spacex_falcon_9_flight/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2024/07/17/spacex_ask_faa_rocket_launch/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2024/07/15/spacex_faa_probe/
[13] https://www.spacex.com/updates/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2022/08/03/spacex_debris/
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Steve Stich, NASA's Commercial Crew Program manager, [1]said that the plan was to launch no earlier than August 18, although the launch window stretched into early September. "That's really driven by a pad turnaround for the Europa Clipper mission," he said.
The date is also driven by managers having a plan and date to bring back the crew of the Boeing Starliner, which has been enjoying [2]an extended stay at the International Space Station (ISS) while engineers work to understand the issues encountered during the test flight.
[3]
Astronauts Sunita "Suni" Williams and Barry "Butch" Wilmore blasted off for a short trip on the Starliner on June 5, arriving at the ISS on June 6 for what was meant to be an eight-day mission. Crew-8, meanwhile, including NASA 'nauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, have been on the space station since March conducting [4]scientific research including a study of brain organoids and another on plant growth.
[5]
[6]
Stich said: "The overall sequence is to undock and bring Butch [Wilmore] and Suni [Williams] home on Starliner, and then go launch the Crew-9 mission, and then do the direct handover, and bring Crew-8 home."
Stich also addressed the [7]upper-stage mishap experienced by SpaceX and said that a second hot-fire was planned to check out the modifications made following the incident, which left a payload of Starlink satellites in the wrong orbit after the second-stage engine failed due to a liquid oxygen leak.
[8]
He later confirmed that a "rigorous certification" of the changes would be performed, and the modifications baselined for Crew-9.
Stich also said Crew-10 would be launched in February 2025 "to give a little bit more time for Starliner to complete the mods after CFT [Crew Flight Test] so Starliner-1 will moved into the August slot next year."
[9]Boeing Starliner crew get their ISS sleepover extended
[10]SpaceX Falcon 9 set for comeback after upper-stage failure
[11]SpaceX asks the FAA: 'Can we launch our rockets again, please?'
[12]SpaceX's Falcon anomaly could have serious implications for the space industry
The confirmation that it will be at least a year before Boeing's Starliner will fly again is disappointing, but both inevitable and prudent considering the helium leaks and thruster issues that have plagued the test flight.
Sarah Walker, Dragon Mission Management director at SpaceX, noted the cause of the mishap – a cracked sense line that led to excessive cooling of the engine components on the stage, particularly those associated with the delivery of ignition fluid to the engine. Walker went on to explain that the line was redundant and could simply be removed – a design change that has already been tested at the company's McGregor facility.
Walker also confirmed that SpaceX would be switching Dragon recovery operations [13]to the dUS West Coast after parts of the spacecraft's trunk repeatedly survive reentry and [14]hit the ground .
[15]
The change will require that Dragon's deorbit burn is performed before the trunk is jettisoned, and whatever survives of the trunk will then splash down uprange of the spacecraft off the coast of California. ®
Get our [16]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.youtube.com/live/AZFUUEEjYqU?si=DiRsVjPGKkhR8W17
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2024/07/26/starliner_stay_onboard_iss/
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Zqe8o7PVqG3SG6e-c6kCzAAAAI8&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/nasa-expedition-71-astronauts-to-conduct-research-aboard-space-station/
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Zqe8o7PVqG3SG6e-c6kCzAAAAI8&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
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[7] https://www.theregister.com/2024/07/26/spacex_falcon_9_flight/
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[9] https://www.theregister.com/2024/07/26/starliner_stay_onboard_iss/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2024/07/26/spacex_falcon_9_flight/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2024/07/17/spacex_ask_faa_rocket_launch/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2024/07/15/spacex_faa_probe/
[13] https://www.spacex.com/updates/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2022/08/03/spacex_debris/
[15] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Zqe8o7PVqG3SG6e-c6kCzAAAAI8&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[16] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Just give up on Starliner already.
newspuppy
Before Boeing kills the crew.
Re: Just give up on Starliner already.
tony72
The time to do that was long ago. At this point, they might as well fix the last couple of issues, and enjoy the benefits of having redundancy of ISS crew transportation. Even Boeing can't string it out much longer before delivering a fully working vehicle.
Re: Just give up on Starliner already.
Anonymous Coward
Watch Don't Look Up, it objectively and scientifically proves what happens if a billionaire like Musk has exclusive control over space launch capabilities in the United States. He would rather risk us all and escape on a sleeper ship than lift a finger to save mankind without a profit.
Re: Just give up on Starliner already.
KittenHuffer
I always think of "Don't Look Up" & "Idiocracy" as pre-documentaries of the wonderful things that are to come!
--------> Mine's the one with the anti-depressants & anti-realities in the pocket!
Just give up on Starliner already.
The confirmation that it will be at least a year before Boeing's Starliner will fly again is disappointing [...]
For mercy's sake, take the Boeing Starliner project out behind the barn and put it out of its misery.