![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/NSF_20180104_191300.jpg\")
<\/p>\nDuring Tuesday\u2019s NASA Advisory Council (NAC) meeting, Commercial Crew Program manager Kathy Lueders briefed the team of advisors on Boeing\u2019s efforts to get its Starliner capsule ready for its first round of flights, noting how pleased NASA was with the company\u2019s progress.<\/p>\n
Presently, Boeing is targeting No Earlier Than August for the Orbital Flight Test (OFT) launch of Starliner in its uncrewed configuration \u2013 a mission that will see Starliner launch atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket and perform an automated docking to the International Space Station.<\/p>\n
Final testing before OFT:<\/b><\/p>\n
Ms. Lueders\u2019 presentation confirmed several key and positive facts of Starliner\u2019s progress toward its OFT mission, including completion of all Structural Test Article testing, ongoing work for parachute system qualification (that actually isn\u2019t needed before OFT), and the critical completion of the Service Module\u2019s hot fire test for low altitude aborts.<\/p>\n
\u201cStructural Test Article testing has been completed, and this is huge,\u201d noted Ms. Lueders. \u201cThis has been an extensive two year test, and the work done by Boeing on making sure that they structurally characterized Starliner [involved] a huge number of integrated system tests and then working through different technical issues that came up and fixing them and then retesting.\u201d<\/p>\n
In terms of parachute qualification, Ms. Lueders noted that the planned final qualification test two weeks ago ended with a balloon issue that did not damaged the test article.<\/p>\n
According to sources, the test did not result in a launch\/deployment of the capsule as the balloon issue occurred after inflation but before the test formally began. In this regard, the test was scrubbed before it began.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Abort testing Starliner \u2013 by Nathan Koga for NSF\/L2<\/p>\n
This was the parachute test reported by some to have been a failure, but industry experts speaking to NASASpaceflight were adamant that this was not a parachute test failure because the balloons in question are only used during testing and are not a system installed on the Starliner capsules for End Of Mission landings.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, the balloon issue encountered will not impact the final testing round for parachute qualification, with the main issue now being rescheduling the test with the White Sands Range during periods with acceptable weather conditions.<\/p>\n
Pending range scheduling, the fifth and final parachute qualification test is currently aimed for sometime in the June timeframe, noted Ms. Lueders to the NAC.<\/p>\n
Moreso, this final parachute test is not needed before the OFT mission this summer but is a requirement prior to the CFT mission later this year.<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, Boeing plans to get this test accomplished in June as long as weather and the White Sands Range permits.<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, the most significant step toward proceeding with the overall Starliner schedule was the successful completion of the Service Module (SM) hot fire test at the White Sands Space Center in New Mexico.<\/p>\n