In a bid to reduce high operating costs that are ultimately funded by American taxpayers, NASA has made the decision to stop producing and sending spacecraft on its own. Instead, the agency is now purchasing the service from external companies such as SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk. This change comes as Boeing’s aviation business is struggling with a series of accidents, and the development of their Starliner spacecraft has faced challenges.
The upcoming launch of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft poses a significant risk for the company, as it encounters delays in its test flights. Originally scheduled for 2015 but pushed back to 2019 due to software glitches, another attempt in August 2021 was delayed again until May 2022 due to propulsion system faults. Concerns were raised about the spacecraft’s performance after its return to Earth, highlighting issues with thrusters and cooling systems.
NASA awarded contracts to SpaceX and Boeing to take over the old space shuttles, with each company tasked with conducting six operational missions. SpaceX received a $2.6 billion contract while Boeing received $4.2 billion. SpaceX was ahead of Boeing, successfully flying a crew on a test flight in 2020, leaving Boeing four years behind with significant expenses to rectify faults.
The Starliner spacecraft is taller and wider than the Apollo capsules and is designed for up to seven astronauts, although typically only four will fly in it. The upcoming mission will involve testing seats, life support systems, navigation, and cargo transfer to the International Space Station (ISS). Astronauts will wear new spacesuits that are lighter and feature touchscreen-sensitive gloves for enhanced flexibility during spacewalks.
After docking at the ISS for about ten days, the astronauts will return to Earth using heat shields, parachutes, and airbags to soften their impact on solid ground landing instead of previous capsules that landed in the sea. If successful, Starliner will conduct regular crew missions to ISS contributing significantly increased space exploration opportunities.
In conclusion, NASA has decided not to produce its own spacecraft anymore but instead opt for external companies like SpaceX due to high operating costs funded by American taxpayers. The upcoming launch of Boeing’s Starliner poses risks due to its delay in test flights and concerns raised about its performance after returning from Earth.
However if successful this mission can contribute significantly increased opportunities for space exploration through regular crew missions on ISS as well as testing new technologies such as seats life support systems navigation among others features that can be used on future missions beyond ISS