For years, NASA astronauts have flown to the ISS inside Russian Soyuz spacecraft. Using these same ships, the American agency sent scientific equipment, food and other things into space for its researchers. But this could not last indefinitely: in order to save money and stop depending on Roscosmos, NASA asked SpaceX and Boeing to develop their own spacecraft. SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft has been doing its job well for a long time. But something is always happening with Boeing's Starliner. After numerous postponements, it finally took off on June 5 and successfully docked with the ISS. But serious problems arose during the flight, and now the two astronauts inside cannot return to Earth.
NASA had high hopes for the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, but it only causes regrets. Source: nasaspaceflight.com
Contents
- 1 Characteristics of the Starliner spacecraft
- 2 First manned flight of Starliner in June 2024
- 3 Starliner crew members stuck on the ISS
- 4 Why Starliner is worse than SpaceX Dragon
- 5 Why Soyuz spacecraft are still the best
Characteristics of the Starliner spacecraft
Boeing began developing the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft in 2010, and NASA allocated $18 million for the project. It took a long time to create the aircraft, and then the company spent a long time testing parachutes, engines and other important parts of the ship. Then they tried for a long time to send him on an unmanned flight, and this mission was also postponed many times.
Starliner took approximately 14 years to develop, from the start of design in 2010 to the first manned flight in 2024. Image source: nplus1.ru
The main task of the Starliner spacecraft is to safely send astronauts to the ISS and return them back to Earth. They also want to use it for cargo delivery and space tourism.
The height of the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft is about 5 meters, and its mass reaches 13 tons. It can fit 7 astronauts or an equivalent amount of cargo inside. As part of the ISS, it can operate for 210 days, that is, more than six months.
Interesting fact:in the future, spaceships for flights to Earth orbit and to nearby planets may not be needed. Scientists want to create a space elevator that can quickly transport people and scientific equipment into space. Japan wanted to start building a space elevator in 2025.
First manned flight of Starliner in June 2024
The first manned launch of the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft took place on June 5, 2024. It was launched into space by an Atlas V launch vehicle and docked with the ISS 27 hours later, at 20:35 Moscow time on June 6. Two astronauts flew into space on the ship: Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams. They were supposed to complete several research projects and return to Earth on June 14, but then the return was postponed to the 18th. And then it became known about another postponement, due to which the researchers would return home only on June 22.
Launch of the Atlas V rocket with the Starliner spacecraft on June 5. Source: BBC
Starliner crew members stuck on ISS
NASA astronauts are unable to return to Earth due to a number of problems with the Starliner spacecraft. Already during the flight, it was discovered that the aircraft's engines were not working correctly. A serious leak of helium was also discovered – this gas is needed to create pressure in the tanks with fuel and oxidizer, which ensures their supply to the engines. If there is not enough helium, the pressure in the fuel tanks will become low and the spacecraft will not be able to maneuver in space. This could lead to a catastrophe that could result in the death of astronauts.
The Starliner spacecraft is rapidly running out of helium, which is needed to return to Earth. Source: starwalk.space
The Starliner spacecraft has 28 engines for maneuvering. It is believed that he can fly to Earth even if half of them fail. But this increases the likelihood of a disaster, so before returning you need to do everything possible to make the flight as safe as possible. But you can’t wait too long either, because helium reserves may completely dry up, and the device will not be able to fly at all. Most likely, in this case, another ship will be sent for the two astronauts, and this costs a lot of money.
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Why is Starliner worse than SpaceX Dragon
It seems that the Starliner ship is becoming a complete headache for NASA . Not only does it have a lot of technical problems, but each of its launches takes a heavy toll on the space agency’s wallet.
It is known that the unmanned launch of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner on December 20, 2019 cost approximately $410 million. This amount included not only the price of the ship itself, but also the cost of the Atlas V launch vehicle and preliminary preparation of the system. It is logical that a manned flight cost about the same or more.
Boeing Starliner is more expensive than SpaceX Dragon even in terms of development. Source: everydayastronaut.com
For comparison, the cost of launching a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft hovers around $50 million. Missions on Elon Musk's ships are cheaper because they use a reusable Falcon 9 launch vehicle. The company also manufactures all the main components of the devices itself, which allows for significant savings.
Read also: Why does Soyuz dock with the ISS faster than Crew Dragon?
Why Soyuz spacecraft are still the best
Against the background of all these problems, the Russian Soyuz spacecraft look much better than Starliner. They have been in use for almost 50 years, with 140 successful missions since their first flight in 1967. Because of this, Soyuz spacecraft are considered the most reliable means of delivering people and cargo to the ISS. The cost of one seat inside the Russian device is about 56 million dollars. It's expensive, but not as expensive as flying on the Starliner.
Flights on Soyuz are safer than on their American counterparts. Source: thecommonsjournal.org
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Despite the existence of good SpaceX Dragon ships, NASA still needs a second device to deliver people and cargo into space. If SpaceX suddenly cannot take the order for any reason, the agency will be able to turn to Boeing. In addition, if SpaceX has a competitor, it will try to improve its ship so that it gets more orders. The presence of competition greatly moves progress forward, as has been proven by the centuries-old history of mankind.