HANDE BERKTAN
Boeing and NASA announced that the first manned flight test of the Starliner capsule has been delayed again. The flight, which was scheduled for April, was initially delayed to May. The flight was delayed for the second time due to technical problems found by Boeing engineers.
Boeing’s Executive Vice President of Commercial Team, Mark Nappi, said they would spend the next week figuring out a plan to keep the capsule safe for flight, though officials did not provide a new launch date.
Boeing engineers delayed the flight due to problems with the Starliner-related parachute systems and the straps surrounding the spacecraft’s wiring harnesses. The engineers said that data on the load limits of the parachutes were recorded incorrectly, leading the engineers to discover that certain parts of the parachute had a lower failure load limit than previously defined.
Explaining that the problems will only become clear during a more detailed review, Nappi said, “I think flight is possible, but I don’t necessarily want to commit to a random date or time frame until we understand what we need to do in the next few days.”
Source: Bloomberg HT