Boeing's Problems Continue

Tests of the newest Boeing 777X have been suspended, and the Boeing Starliner crew may remain in orbit until 2025.

The world’s largest aerospace concern continues to experience problems both in air and airless space. Flight tests of the newest transoceanic Boeing 777X have been suspended due to structural problems that have been identified.

The part (“component”, as the company’s report says) connecting the engine to the wing of the liner turned out to be insufficiently strong. This problem cannot be fixed quickly, so the tests have been stopped for an indefinite period.

Thus, the crew of the manned spacecraft Boeing CST-100 Starliner, which has already spent 60 days on the ISS instead of 10, cannot return to Earth yet. Astronauts and ground services have not been able to repair the ship’s propulsion system controls. Boeing says the problem is rooted in the helium hydraulic thrust control system.

For now, the only option for astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sune Williams to return home is to use a direct competitor, Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

The comments from NASA leaders indicate a major shift in the space agency’s mindset. Until now, officials have repeatedly indicated that Williams and Wilmore would likely return home on Starliner, with the Crew Dragon backup scenario mentioned as a distant possibility. But Wednesday’s update suggests that SpaceX’s spacecraft is quickly becoming the first choice.

But that would mean Boeing’s return to the crew is delayed until 2025. And that would leave the question of what to do with the ship — deorbit it? But how? The engines can’t guarantee a controlled reentry.

Boeing is preparing its Starliner spacecraft.