Boeing Starliner in Serious Problem! NASA Engineers to "Give up"...

With the serious glitches on the Boeing Starliner recently, it's hard to trust in the safe re-entry capability of the spacecraft. So a terrible scenario seems to be foretold. NASA astronauts could be stranded on the ISS. This is now officially mentioned and confirmed by experienced experts. They also highlighted the urgency of a rescue mission aboard SpaceX Crew Dragon. Find out everything in today's episode of TechMap. As you might know, Boeing Starliner, one more time, has already slipped its return date to June 22, instead of June 18 previously and June 14, as the original schedule. It brings the total number of days astronauts stay on the ISS to 16 days, more than twice as long as initially planned. The additional time will allow astronauts and engineers to fix the issues, including helium leaks, glitches and thrusters, and other problems. A Boeing spokesperson said, The integrated NASA Boeing Starliner mission management team is monitoring the overall health of the spacecraft and adhering to our mission flight rules. Even with this smallest helium leak discovered after docking before the system was closed, we determined we have approximately 70 hours of free flight activity and continue to have full redundancy in all critical systems. They added, Despite the positive declarations from the company, we all are concerned about the risk of NASA astronauts stranded in space on the ISS. Boeing Starliner can only stay docked on the ISS for a total of 45 days due to limited fuel in the orbit laboratory. What if beyond that time the problem remains unresolved? Has NASA planned for that bad scenario? Everything could have been smooth if Boeing and NASA had re-double safety checks and re-examined safety protocols to make sure the Starliner was safe before something catastrophic happened. Yes, this is thinking of a NASA contractor who urged the American Space Agency to ensure Starliner's safety before launch. Aaron Favell, president of ValveTech, raised concerns about the June 6 launch. I warned, I will choose to let it play out. Starliner took off at 10.52 a.m. ET from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on June 5. Finally, it launched on schedule, underscore thanks to NASA and Boeing. Ignoring the safety warnings involved in the helium leak point, which had been detected since a scrub in May, hours after separating from the Atlas rocket, two more leaks were sprung. The fourth one was found after docking on June 6 and the most recent hit on June 10. To add fuel to the fire, four thrusters malfunctioned during the flight. And now, to sort out all that mess, the officials must extend Starliner's stay on the ISS possibly indefinitely. Why did I note possibly indefinitely? Well, let experts explain. Mike Gruntman, professor of astronautics at the University of Southern California, said that, it is highly unfortunate that Boeing's Starliner, after so much delay with its flight, continues to face problems. For decades, Boeing was one of the most admired aerospace and defense companies. It is a true national tragedy. Talking about the helium leaks, Gruntman suggested that the problem stemmed from manufacturing issues, multiple similar issues. Helium leaks, with seemingly similar components, as reported in the press, point to a systemic problem with design or workmanship, or testing, or system engineering, or a combination thereof. He explained, the leaks and thruster malfunctions would be very difficult to fix in space. Rudy Ridolfi, former space system commander and space technology acquisition manager, added, the last thing you want to do is maintenance in orbit. He continued, Boeing has had consistent problems with its Starliner, regardless of the delays. We are seeing the same components have the same problems. There is no third independent verification and validation, doing follow-ups on self-inspections. This is a cost-cutting measure, but without enough oversight, problems are going to crop up. On the other hand, he also raised the positive views. Good news is that they are on the ISS, and not like the Apollo 13 trying to get home from the moon. But I wouldn't be surprised if someone at NASA is getting a SpaceX Dragon capsule ready for a rescue mission. According to NASA's internal schedule, Dragon Crew 9 will occur no earlier than August. It will arrive at the space station for a short duration handover, with NASA's SpaceX Crew 8 mission. Mike Gruntman said that, it is more likely that SpaceX would be able to provide an additional launch in the foreseeable future, to bring the astronauts back. Katsuo Kurabayashi, professor of aerospace engineering at New York University, also shared, given the current situation with the Starliner, it is possible that NASA could decide to use an alternative spacecraft, like SpaceX's Crew Dragon, to bring the astronauts home safely. The final decision would depend on the severity of the helium leaks, the feasibility of repairs, and the logistics of arranging another spacecraft for the return mission. So, how about you, is a rescue mission aboard SpaceX Dragon necessary in this case? Say yes if you agree. Anyway, if you find this useful, please give us a share, like, and subscribe. Your support will be a huge motivation for us to release more quality videos in the future. And now let's come back. So, how much will the failure of the Starliner project affect Boeing's overall situation? This is probably the question that most people are interested in currently. To be honest, space is just a part of Boeing's Defense, Space, and Security Business Unit, or BDS. And in Boeing's revenue by sector in 2023, BDS just generated 32% of the company revenue, at nearly $25 billion. It's worth noting that $25 billion are also made up of non-space activities, such as contracts for military helicopters, fighter jets, and munitions. Meanwhile, the company's financial strength is its commercial aircraft business, bringing in nearly $33 billion USD, or 44%, by 2023. So, when Boeing commercial planes hit a series of trouble, costing the company at least $32 billion since 2019 with no end in sight, it dealt a devastating blow to the over 1-0-0 year-old firm. However, it does not mean space does not matter for Boeing. To save the company from bankruptcy, it will have to utilize all of its advantages, space for instance. Although Boeing doesn't break out its space business, its heritage actually dates back to the dawn of the U.S.'s venture into space. You can see clearly their fingerprints all over major aspects of the Apollo missions, or in the construction and operation of the International Space Station. With its identity deeply rooted in America's space ventures, Boeing was the clear choice to win NASA's 2014 Commercial Crew Program, and was considered the guarantee for the success of NASA's new project at the time. Boeing won a contract worth $4.2 billion, much higher than what SpaceX received at the same time. But its Starliner taxi has been kept in the warehouse for a decade. In 2019, Boeing continued to get funding from NASA, as the agency announced its intent to purchase up to 10 SLS core stages from Boeing under a so-called Cost Plus contract. Can't help but mention that Boeing has been chosen as SLS's core stage prime contractor since 2011, when NASA began the process of building the rocket. The Cost Plus contract benefits the company a lot because, with technical challenges all but certain to arise during the SLS development, the government pays a contractor the entire value of the development costs, plus a fee, often 10%. However, it is not a good way to force the company to move quickly, because the longer a contract goes, the more money it costs, and the greater fees it generates. This move by NASA occurred within the context that Boeing's 737 MAX was grounded worldwide after two deadly crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia, contributing to Boeing's chain of loss. As a result, the SLS project cost NASA 11 years and $11.8 billion for the development, a cost that covered work through the Artemis 1 launch in November 2022, according to the GAO's 2023 September 7 report. Additionally, we believe there are many other valuable contracts with billions of dollars flowing into Boeing's pockets. Obviously, all of Boeing's revenue from its collaboration with NASA remains secret so far because the duo has never been transparent about costs. However, the most noticeable thing so far is that Boeing is declining in every confrontation. Its efforts in space seem not to work then, signaling a very dark future waiting for it. And that just about wraps it up for today's episode. Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you next time.