Starliner has completed 77 of the original 87 flight-test objectives, with the remaining 10 to occur between undocking and landing.
Crew Flight Test (CFT) astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are testing more capabilities of the Starliner spacecraft and contributing to International Space Station operations. The entire CFT team is taking advantage of the additional days docked to learn as much as possible about Starliner to inform the ongoing certification process.
“Starliner is performing very well and we are getting exactly what we wanted out of this flight test by learning things you can only learn in flight,” said Mark Nappi, Starliner program manager, Boeing Commercial Crew. “The crew has been incredibly supportive of this learning on orbit, working with the ground teams, to improve and sharpen the experience for future crews.”
On Saturday, June 15, a hot fire test was performed on Starliner’s reaction control system (RCS) thrusters in the service module propulsion system. Wilmore and Williams sat in the cockpit during the tests so teams could hear their feedback on the sounds and feel of the thrusters firing. At the conclusion of the hot fire testing, the helium manifolds were isolated and the leak rates in each manifold decreased.
Other Starliner tasks included cabin sound checks, Communications Head Protection Assembly (CHPA) adjustments, and filming of on-orbit hatch operations for future crews to study. While the spacecraft was powered up, data was transferred from on-board recorders to support engineering assessments and software was uploaded with upcoming landing parameters.
Sunday, June 16, Boeing and NASA participated in a mission dress rehearsal at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico ahead of Starliner’s return. The combined Landing and Recovery Team (LRT) simulated convoy operations and recovery of the crew and Starliner.
Wilmore and Williams helped the Expedition 71 crew with ISS tasks, such as research and maintaining electronic, life support, and orbital plumbing systems.
- Williams transferred wastewater between station modules, replaced a video camera in the Columbus laboratory module, moved to the Kibo lab and watered the Advanced Plant Habitat to prepare for upcoming science operations, and packed trash in a cargo return vehicle.
- Wilmore swapped out thermal gear that protects electronics hardware on station and also worked in the Harmony module’s maintenance work area setting up hardware and researching liquid flows to improve the health care and food industries. The Gaucho Lung study he supported is exploring ways to optimize drug delivery for respiratory conditions, treat infants with respiratory distress syndrome, and prevent contamination of tubes with intermittent flows of liquids.
On Thursday, June 20, the crew took inventory of cargo stowed in Starliner for weight and center of gravity data analysis. Wilmore also made an adjustment to his commander seat in Starliner to account for an elongated spine from being on orbit, another key capability tested for future long-duration flights.
For more Starliner highlights, follow @BoeingSpace on X, starlinerupdates.com and the CFT mission website.