Just over two months after the truncated Orbital Flight Test of their Starliner crew capsule, Boeing officials have provided an in-depth overview of the issues faced on the flight.<\/p>\n
The update, held on Friday, 28 February, also provided information on the path forward for Starliner, including the on-going software audit, closing process escapes and software testing gaps, as well as work with NASA to determine the future flight schedule.<\/p>\n
NASA will ultimately be the one to decide what kind of flight Starliner will fly next and when that next flight will occur, but John Mulholland, Vice President and Program Manager for Boeing\u2019s Commercial Crew Program, confirmed there is room on United Launch Alliance\u2019s busy Atlas V schedule this year for another Starliner flight.<\/p>\n
However, Mr. Mulholland advised cautioned on pinning down exactly when Starliner\u2019s next flight will happen, saying that until the final recommendations from the Independent Review Team are received (next week), until Boeing\u2019s internal audit of the software and processes that lead to the in-flight issues not being discovered prior to flight are completed, and until Boeing can implement new requirements and rules for software verification and validation, there cannot be a realistic discussion of when Starliner will return to flight.<\/p>\n
Of note, Mr. Mulholland reiterated \u2014 as he has throughout the last two months \u2014 that the Atlas V rocket performed flawlessly on the Orbital Flight Test launch on 20 December 2019 from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n