Missing pin blamed for Boeing pad abort parachute anomaly

Boeing said Nov. 7 that a misplaced pin prevented a parachute from deploying during a pad abort test of its CST-100 Starliner vehicle three days earlier, the only flaw in a key test of that commercial crew vehicle.

Boeing performs Starliner pad abort test

NASA and Boeing said a pad abort test of the CST-100 Starliner commercial crew vehicle Nov. 4 was a success despite the failure of one of the capsule’s three parachutes to properly deploy.

Boeing and SpaceX preparing for commercial crew abort tests

Boeing and SpaceX are on schedule to perform two critical tests of their commercial crew vehicles in the next week with hopes that both vehicles will be ready to carry astronauts by early next year.

Airstream, Boeing unveil new astronaut transfer vehicle

Airstream, maker of the iconic “silver bullet” travel trailer, unveiled Astrovan II, an eight-seat transport vehicle Boeing will use to transport commercial crew astronauts to the CST-100 Starliner’s Cape Canaveral, Florida, launchpad.

NASA and SpaceX agree commercial crew development is the “highest priority”

LAS CRUCES, N.M. — NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk eased two weeks of tension between them Oct. 10, saying they were on the same page regarding development of commercial crew systems.

Bridenstine to…

Boeing, SpaceX press towards commercial crew test flights this year

Boeing expects to carry out a pad abort test for its CST-100 Starliner commercial crew vehicle in early November, followed by an uncrewed orbital flight test in mid-December, a company executive said Oct. 8.

ISPCS 2019 – International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight

The International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight (ISPCS) is the leading commercial space industry event which gathers the leaders and international representatives of the commercial space industry, state and federal government o…

Commercial crew providers prepare for fall test flights

Boeing and SpaceX said Aug. 19 that they expect to carry out critical test flights of their commercial crew systems this fall, with SpaceX still hopeful of launching astronauts to the International Space Station this year.

NASA warns commercial crew delays create uncertainty in ISS operations

As NASA praises the increased amount of research being performed on the International Space Station, the station’s manager cautions that uncertainty about commercial crew vehicles may disrupt station operations in the year ahead.

Bridenstine says leadership changes linked to urgency in NASA’s exploration programs

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said he reassigned the agency’s human spaceflight head, Bill Gerstenmaier, because time was limited to address cost and schedule issues with the agency’s key exploration programs and still meet a 2024 deadline for returning humans to the moon.

GAO recommends NASA develop contingency plan for ISS access amid commercial crew delays

A new Government Accountability Office report called on NASA to develop a contingency plan to maintain access to the station after next September should commercial crew vehicles suffer additional delays.

Safety panel calls on NASA to apply commercial crew lessons for Artemis

As NASA starts development of lunar landers for Artemis, it should carefully incorporate the lessons learned from the commercial crew program, a safety panel advised.

Boeing completes tests of Starliner thrusters

Boeing has completed ground testing of the thrusters for its CST-100 Starliner commercial crew vehicle, nearly a year after a setback in earlier testing of those thrusters.

Parachute development a challenge for commercial crew

An incident involving a test of parachutes for one commercial crew vehicle has heightened awareness of the challenges involved in developing those systems, as well as determining what constitutes an anomaly.

Safety panel urges patience in SpaceX Crew Dragon investigation

Members of an independent safety panel said it will take time to determine what happened during a SpaceX Crew Dragon testing incident several days ago, and that its impact to the overall commercial crew program remains uncertain.

NASA approves extension of Boeing commercial crew test flight

A day after Boeing confirmed delays in test flights of its commercial crew vehicle, NASA said that the company’s crewed test flight will get an extended stay at the station when it does fly.