CST-100

[tnt22]

Space to Ground: Dress Rehearsals: 09/20/2019

 NASA Johnson

Опубликовано: 20 сент. 2019 г.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1P8dDYEvwAhttps://www.youtube.com/embed/F1P8dDYEvwA (3:19)

[tnt22]

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/09/30/tech/elon-musk-spacex-crew-dragon-nasa-timeline/index.html

Elon Musk: Crew Dragon spacecraft for NASA could fly astronauts in 3 to 4 months


 By Jackie Wattles, CNN Business | Updated 0056 GMT (0856 HKT) October 1, 2019

https://pmd.cdn.turner.com/cnn/big/business/2019/09/29/caption/elon-musk-starship-interview-orig.cnn_2818862_768x432_1300k.mp4 (3:52)

Boca Chica, Texas (CNN Business) - SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule could be ready to fly NASA astronauts in three to four months. It would mark the first time humans have launched to orbit from US soil in almost a decade.

CEO and chief engineer Elon Musk told CNN Business' Rachel Crane that SpaceX is "going as fast as we can" to get the overdue spacecraft, which is designed to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station, ready for flight.

Jim Bridenstine, NASA's administrator, said in an interview on Monday that he is not confident in that timeline. The space agency will likely have to purchase more seats aboard Russian-made spacecraft in 2020, he said, to ensure US astronauts have continued access to the space station because of ongoing dealys with its Commercial Crew program, he said. That program includes Crew Dragon and a Boeing-built capsule, Starliner, which is also years behind schedule.

NASA asked the private sector to develop crew-worthy spacecraft to replace the Space Shuttle program after it retired in 2011. SpaceX was allotted $2.6 billion and Boeing was awarded $4.2 billion in 2014. NASA originally predicted both companies' spacecraft would be up and running by 2017.

SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule flew an uncrewed demonstration mission in March, during which it briefly docked with the ISS. The company was expected to launch astronauts in July, but the craft exploded earlier in the year during a ground test of its emergency abort system.

Musk told CNN Business that 95% of SpaceX's resources are dedicated to its Dragon spacecraft and Falcon rockets, and the Crew Dragon vehicle that will conduct SpaceX's first crewed mission will arrive at its Florida launch site in November.

"If there's some way just to make it go faster, I would make it go faster," Musk said of Crew Dragon development.

Last week, Bridenstine chided Musk on Twitter for giving a presentation in Texas about SpaceX's futuristic Mars rocket, Starship, while Crew Dragon is still on the ground.

"I am looking forward to the SpaceX announcement," Bridenstine said on Twitter Friday. "In the meantime, Commercial Crew is years behind schedule. NASA expects to see the same level of enthusiasm focused on the investments of the American taxpayer. It's time to deliver."

During his interview with CNN Business, Musk responded: "Did he say Commercial Crew or SLS?" SLS, or Space Launch System, is a rocket designed for deep-space exploration that Boeing is building for NASA. The project has endured years of delays and billion-dollar cost overruns.

[свернуть]

Bridenstine told CNN Business that he recognized "a lot of NASA contractors are behind schedule" and he wants to hold all of them accountable for delays.

Bridenstine also noted that NASA spends $85 million per seat to fly US astronauts on Russian spacecraft, and he called SpaceX out on Twitter because he wants to ensure NASA's Commercial Crew partners are "focused on the right things."

Bridenstine referred to Crew Dragon's explosion as a "catastrophic failure," and said one of the reasons he's skeptical of the idea that Crew Dragon will be ready in the near future is because the updated emergency abort system "has not been qualified" and has not been tested.

Musk said over the weekend that a spacecraft with the new abort system would arrive in Florida in October so it can undergo final testing. That will include an in-flight test of its emergency abort system, which will see the Crew Dragon launch atop a rocket then break off from the rocket and conduct an emergency landing to simulate a situation in which a rocket misfires. NASA and SpaceX both have to deem the spacecraft ready before that test will be scheduled.

[свернуть]

Boeing (BA) has yet to launch its uncrewed demo mission. Company spokesperson Josh Barrett said Boeing is working to reach that milestone and conduct a pad abort test by the end of the year.

Bridentine said Boeing is experiencing "similar challenges" with testing the spacecraft and he expects its first flight is "months away."

The space agency in July said dates for Boeing's first missions were "under review." A NASA spokesperson said the schedule will not be officially updated until NASA installs a new associate administrator for human spaceflight. Bill Gerstenmaier held that role for more than a decade before he was demoted two months ago.

Bridenstine said NASA has candidates in mind and will bring on an associate administrator "the coming weeks or months."

[tnt22]

https://ria.ru/20191001/1559309547.html

Новые американские корабли впервые полетят с экипажами на МКС в 2020 году
12:05 01.10.2019

МОСКВА, 1 окт - РИА Новости. Новые корабли Crew Dragon компании SpaceX и Starliner фирмы Boeing впервые полетят с экипажами на Международную космическую станцию в 2020 году, заявил генеральный директор Роскосмоса Дмитрий Рогозин.

Ранее сообщалось, что первые полёты кораблей с экипажами планируются в конце 2019 года.

"Американцы рассчитывают, что они начнут летать сами на своих кораблях. По данным НАСА, с которым мы вели переговоры сейчас на Байконуре, они надеются решить основные свои проблемы - и Boeing, и компания SpaceX - до конца текущего года", - сказал Рогозин журналистам на Первой всероссийской конференции по космическому образованию "Дорога в космос".

"Соответственно в следующем году полетит экипаж. Пожелаем им успехов", - добавил он.

https://tass.ru/kosmos/6948536

1 ОКТ, 11:50 Обновлено 12:25
Новые американские пилотируемые корабли полетят на МКС в 2020 году
Глава Роскосмоса Дмитрий Рогозин пожелал успехов компаниям Boeing и Space X

МОСКВА, 1 октября. /ТАСС/. Созданные в США новые пилотируемые космические корабли могут отправиться с экипажем на Международную космическую станцию (МКС) в 2020 году. Об этом сообщил во вторник журналистам глава Роскосмоса Дмитрий Рогозин.

"По данным NASA, с которым мы вели переговоры на Байконуре, они надеются решить свои проблемы, и Boeing, и компания Space X, до конца текущего года. Соответственно, в следующем году полетит экипаж. Желаем им успеха!" - сказал Рогозин.

По его словам, если американские компании запустят к МКС свои корабли, то для Роскосмоса потребуется меньшее число кораблей для доставки российских экипажей на МКС. "Но в последующие годы это количество кораблей снова вырастет, потому что пойдут туристы, с которыми у нас уже есть контракты, пойдут другие страны. Европейское космическое агентство обсуждает с нами заключение прямого соглашения по доставке своих астронавтов. Поэтому нам нужно там не более двух кораблей в год для решения наших задач, но как только пойдут другие желающие, нам придется нарастить производство", - уточнил глава Роскосмоса.
...

[Чебурашка]

Насчёт Flight Test

Всё ещё на 28 октября?  Перенос не объявляли ещё?
28-ое кажется сомнительным в свете назначение Cygnis на 29-ое.

[tnt22]

https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/10/01/boeing-closing-in-on-starliner-pad-abort-test/

Boeing closing in on Starliner pad abort test
October 1, 2019 | Stephen Clark

https://www.youtube.com/embed/RZg5CCAyiTA

Boeing engineers in New Mexico are readying a Starliner spacecraft for a critical pad abort test this fall to demonstrate the capsule's ability to escape an emergency on the launch pad before green-lighting the capsule to carry astronauts.

Boeing has not announced a target date for the pad abort test, but final preparations are underway at White Sands Missile Range. Technicians last month mated the Starliner crew and service modules at the test site, a company spokesperson said.

The next major milestone was expected to be fueling of the service module with hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide propellants, which will feed the craft's abort engines and control thrusters during the test flight, which will last around 95 seconds from takeoff through landing of the crew capsule under parachutes.

No astronauts will fly on the capsule during the pad abort test.

Boeing is preparing three Starliner spacecraft for test flights under a $4.2 billion contract with NASA.

The space agency's commercial crew program selected Boeing and SpaceX to develop human-rated capsules in 2014 to end U.S. reliance on Russian Soyuz ferry ships for astronaut transportation to and from the International Space Station.

Before regular crew rotation flights can begin, Boeing will conduct the pad abort test, an unpiloted demonstration mission to the space station, and a crewed test flight to the station with three astronauts on-board.

The pad abort test is not required before the Starliner's first flight to orbit without a crew.

The pad abort and OFT mission have switched order in Boeing's test flight schedule several times as managers adjusted the Starliner programs schedule in recent months. A Boeing spokesperson said the pad abort is currently planned before the Orbital Flight Test, which is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral later this year on top of a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket.

NASA and Boeing have not upd ated official target launch dates for the pad abort, the Starliner Orbital Flight Test, or the Starliner's Crew Flight Test since April. In July, NASA said target launch dates for the remaining commercial crew test flights were under review.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, in an interview with CNN Monday, said the Starliner's first space mission is "months" away. SpaceX founder Elon Musk told CNN Saturday that the Crew Dragon spacecraft, which conducted its unpiloted test flight to the station in March, would be ready to carry astronauts in three or four months.

The Starliner pad abort test at the White Sands Missile Range in Mexico will exercise the craft's rocket engines, parachutes and control systems.


A launch abort engine for the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft during a test-firing in 2016. Credit: NASA

On a space mission, Boeing's Starliner will have 64 engines for use during launch aborts, in-orbit maneuvers and re-entry. All of the thrusters are built by Aerojet Rocketdyne.

The four biggest thrusters are the launch abort engines on the base of the Starliner's service module. In the event of an abort, each engine would immediately ignite and power up to produce some 40,000 pounds of thrust to push the spacecraft away from rocket failure on the ground or in fight.

The liquid-fueled abort engines would only fire in flight in the event of a launch emergency.

Another se t of 20 service module orbital maneuvering and attitude control engines, each generating 1,500 pounds of thrust, will be used to control the capsule's orientation during a launch abort, orbital insertion after separation from the Atlas 5 rocket's second stage, and other major trajectory changes in space.

There are 28 reaction control system thrusters on the Starliner service module for smaller orbital maneuvers, and for reboosts of the space station's orbit. Twelve reusable thrusters on the Starliner crew module, each with 100 pounds of thrust, will control the ship's attitude, or orientation, during re-entry.

During the upcoming pad abort test in New Mexico, the four launch abort engines will ignite for five seconds to propel the spacecraft off a test stand at White Sands. The smaller orbital maneuvering and attitude control thrusters will fire for 10 seconds, then thrusters will pulse to flip the spacecraft around and fly tail first on an arc that will take the vehicle to a maximum altitude of approximately 4,500 feet (1,370 meters).

The thrusters will stop firing 17 seconds after takeoff, and a series of pilot, drogue and main parachutes will begin deploying at T+plus 20 seconds, according to Boeing.

The craft will jettison its service module and pieces of its heat shield, then inflate airbags to cushion the capsule's landing at White Sands around 95 seconds after liftoff.

SpaceX completed the pad abort test for its Crew Dragon spacecraft in 2015, and plans an in-flight abort test later this year at the Kennedy Space Center to verity the capsule's ability to fire off a Falcon 9 rocket after liftoff. Boeing plans to bypass such an in-flight abort demonstration.

NASA gave both companies the option to decide whether or not to conduct an in-flight abort test.


Teams from Boeing, NASA and the White Sands Missile Range rehearsed Starliner landing and crew extraction procedures in September. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Boeing and NASA conducted a landing rehearsal at White Sands last month, during which ground teams practiced recovering a Starliner capsule and extracting its crew.

Starliner missions will land in the Western United States at one of several possible recovery sites. The primary landing site for the Starliner test flights is at White Sands.

Josh Barrett, a Boeing spokesperson, said all of the Starliner's major integrated test campaigns are complete.

Earlier this year, Boeing engineers complete a ground test of the Starliner's service module engines at White Sands. The test-firing campaign was halted in 2018 by a valve failure on the test stand, which resulted in a propellant leak.

The incident delayed the propulsion system testing nearly a year.

[Liss]

Чебурашка написал:
Насчёт Flight Test

Всё ещё на 28 октября?  Перенос не объявляли ещё?
28-ое кажется сомнительным в свете назначение Cygnis на 29-ое.

По последним слухам из https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=43958.80 -- конец ноября или декабрь. 

[tnt22]

Stephen Clark‏ @StephenClark1 3 ч. назад

Chris Ferguson, Boeing test pilot and astronaut, says the Starliner spacecraft's pad abort test is planned in November. The pad abort vehicle will roll to the pad at White Sands in the "very near future," he says. Pad abort will be followed by uncrewed flight test to ISS.

[Чебурашка]

Pad Abort teest - начало ноября
Orbital Flight Test - 17 декабря

https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/1181958493676244992

[tnt22]

Stephen Clark‏ @StephenClark1 2 ч. назад

Industry sources say Boeing's pad abort test at White Sands is currently targeted for Nov. 4.

[tnt22]

CST-100 Starliner Pad Abort Test Animation

 Boeing

21 февр. 2019 г.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZg5CCAyiTAhttps://www.youtube.com/embed/RZg5CCAyiTA?feature=oembed (1:53)

[tnt22]

https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/10/09/boeing-reveals-target-dates-for-initial-starliner-test-flights/

Boeing reveals target dates for initial Starliner test flights
October 9, 2019 | Stephen Clark

Boeing officials said Wednesday that the company is targeting Dec. 17 for the launch of the first unpiloted orbital test flight of the new Starliner crew capsule from Cape Canaveral on a week-long demonstration mission to the International Space Station, a precursor to a mission with astronauts next year.

Meanwhile, engineers in the New Mexico desert are readying a Starliner test vehicle for a pad abort test scheduled for the morning of Nov. 4, local time, during which the crew capsule will demonstrate its ability to escape an emergency on the launch pad, according to industry sources.

But officials did not say when the Starliner could be ready to launch with astronauts. The Starliner's first crewed test flight will use a different spacecraft than the one set for launch in December.

NASA is counting on its commercial crew contractors — Boeing and SpaceX — to begin ferrying crews to and from the space station. The space agency's final contracted seat to fly a U.S. astronaut to the station on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft launches in March 2020, and returns to Earth next October.

NASA has stretched the duration of astronaut stays on the space station this year to buy time for Boeing and SpaceX to finish building and testing their spacecraft. Space agency officials have also approved plans for Boeing's first crewed test flight, originally slated to last a week or two, to extend as long as six months.

A similar agreement could be cinched with SpaceX soon.

And NASA may have to buy additional Soyuz seats from Russia, despite earlier statements from NASA officials that the unpopular purchases — which cost more than $80 million per seat at last report — were over.

John Mulholland, vice president and general manager of Boeing's commercial crew program, said Wednesday that the company has set Dec. 17 as the target launch date for the Starliner's Orbital Flight Test.

The mission will take off from Cape Canaveral on top of a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, dock with the space station two days later, then return to a parachute-assisted, airbag-cushioned landing at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico Dec. 24, assuming it launches on Dec. 17.

While the schedules could change — as they often do in the launch business — the new target dates mark the first time Boeing or NASA have provided an updated launch schedule for the Starliner program since April. The schedule for SpaceX's commercial crew program has also not been officially updated in six months.

Josh Barrett, a Boeing spokesperson, said Wednesday that preparations for the pad abort at White Sands are going well.

"The crew and service modules are mated (for the pad abort)," Barrett said. "They're fueling this week (and) should be going up on the test stand next week, and then preparing for final checkouts for launch."

Read our earlier story for details on the Starliner pad abort.

Technicians working inside Boeing's Starliner factory at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida are installing ordnance on the crew module for the Orbital Flight Test this week, according to Barrett. He said teams will then install the heat shield and connect the crew module to the service module, fuel the spacecraft with hypergolic propellants, then transfer the vehicle to pad 41 for lifting atop its Atlas 5 launcher.

Stacking of the Atlas 5 rocket inside the Vertical Integration Facility at pad 41 should begin in the next few weeks. The Starliner spacecraft is expected to arrive at the launch pad some time in November.


Artist's illustration of a Starliner spacecraft on top of a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket. Credit; United Launch Alliance

Crew Dragon

An update on SpaceX's commercial crew program could come Thursday, when NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine will tour SpaceX's headquarters facility in Hawthorne, California.

Bridenstine and Elon Musk, SpaceX's founder and CEO, will speak with reporters following the tour. NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, who are assigned to fly SpaceX's Crew Dragon into orbit on the craft's first piloted test flight, will join Bridenstine and Musk during the media availability Thursday.

SpaceX accomplished a pad abort test in 2015, and the company completed its unpiloted Crew Dragon test flight to the space station in March, but the company has run into difficulties since then with the ship's abort system and parachutes.

Musk tweeted on Tuesday that the next major Crew Dragon test flight — an in-flight abort demonstration — could launch in late November or early December. During that test, a Crew Dragon capsule will ride a Falcon 9 booster into the sky over NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, then fire its SuperDraco escape engines to propel itself away from the rocket, mimicking a failure scenario on a real launch with astronauts on-board.

Before the in-flight abort, the Crew Dragon capsule will test-fire its SuperDraco thrusters on a test stand at Cape Canaveral in the coming weeks, repeating a test series that ended with the explosion of a Crew Dragon test vehicle in April. SpaceX determined that a faulty valve in the spacecraft's propellant pressurization system caused the explosion, which occurred an instant before the capsule was supposed to fire its SuperDraco abort engines for a hold-down test.

Musk said SpaceX's integration and test schedule suggests hardware for the Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft that will carry Behnken and Hurley into orbit could be at the Florida launch site, and ground testing could be completed, in about 10 weeks, or as soon as mid-December.

It's not known how long NASA safety reviews might take to clear the Crew Dragon's first flight with astronauts for launch, and Musk wrote on Twitter that parachute testing remains a major focus area for SpaceX's crew program. He said SpaceX "had to reallocate some resources" to speed up the parachute development effort.

SpaceX has suffered multiple parachute failures, including an accident during a drop test in April over Nevada and a chute failure during the return of a Dragon cargo capsule from the space station in 2018. The Dragon cargo craft that experienced a chute failure was still able to successfully splash down in the Pacific Ocean slowed by its other parachutes.

Musk wrote he visited SpaceX's parachute supplier, Airborne Systems, last weekend. Airborne and SpaceX are focusing on an "advanced" parachute design that "provides (the) highest safety factor for astronauts," Musk tweeted.

SpaceX's Crew Dragon uses two drogue parachutes and four main ring-sail chutes to slow its speed before splashdown at sea. The parachute system worked as designed during a splashdown in March to conclude an unpiloted Crew Dragon test flight to the station.

In an update last month, NASA said that SpaceX has completed 30 drop tests and 18 system-level tests on the Crew Dragon parachutes over the last four years.

"One of the most relevant benefits originating from the rigorous, multi-year parachute testing campaign is a better understanding of how to safely design and operate parachute clusters," NASA said.

Other human-rated space capsules, such as the Starliner capsule and NASA's Orion spacecraft, rely on three main parachutes. The cargo variant of SpaceX's Dragon capsule also uses three main chutes.

But the Crew Dragon spacecraft is significantly heavier than the Dragon capsule currently in service, so SpaceX engineers designed the next-generation craft with four main parachutes similar to the ones flown on cargo missions.

"Specifically, NASA and SpaceX now have greater insight into what is termed 'Asymmetry Factor,' an integral part of how safety in design is measured and weighed. This asymmetry factor is an indicator of uneven load distribution between individual suspension lines attached to the parachute canopy," NASA said.

"As a cluster of parachutes is deployed, the first parachute to open may crowd or bump others as they open up, causing an uneven load distribution on the main parachutes. If the lines or the joints are not designed to account for the unevenness or asymmetry, they might get damaged or even fail.

The April drop test was designed to simulate the Crew Dragon's response to the loss of one of its four main parachutes. But an unexpected parachute failure occurred during the test, which provided engineers with a "unique insight into parachute loading and behavior," NASA said.

"The test results have ultimately provided a better understanding of parachute reliability and caused a closer examination of the current industry standard used to calculate the asymmetry factor."

NASA said SpaceX is using the new data to calculate structural margins and influence parachute design.

SpaceX has completed successful parachute tests since April, including a recent test to simulate the parachutes' performance during a pad abort scenario.

[свернуть]

[azvoz]

tnt22 написал:
But officials did not say when the Starliner could be ready to launch with astronauts.

Представители Боинга не сказали когда Старлайнер будет готов к пилотируемому полёту.

tnt22 написал:
The Starliner's first crewed test flight will use a different spacecraft than the one set for launch in December.

Ужас!. Неужели они думали  что кто то всерьёз верил в дежурные заявления про  "многоразовость" Старлая, и считают нужным указывать очевидный факт использования  другого экземпляра корабля?
С такой же необходимостью они могли предостеречь " ..Он не полетит на Луну!".

tnt22 написал:
The mission will take off from Cape Canaveral on top of a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, dock with the space station two days later, then return to a parachute-assisted, airbag-cushioned landing at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico Dec. 24, assuming it launches on Dec. 17.

Через 2 дня после старта планируется стыковка с МКС , а затем парашютная посадка с использованием надувных амортизаторов в Нью-Мексико(White Sands Missile Range) 24 декабря(при условии старта 17 декабря)

--
Напоминаю, что  запуски СтарЛая планируются с использованием 2х двигательного Центавра - который НИ РАЗУ не летал в составе Атлас-5.
То есть по сути , это новая ракета, которая не набрала статистики , чтобы можно было с уверенностью посылать на ней людей.
К примеру, РН Союз до сих пор не использует рд-0124 на третьей ступени при запуске людей, по этой причине.

[tnt22]

https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/2019/10/11/boeing-target-flight-dates/

Boeing Target Flight Dates

Anna Heiney
Posted Oct 11, 2019 at 4:23 pm



NASA and Boeing continue to evaluate flight dates to deliver realistic schedules to the public and both have agreed on the following target dates:

[/li]
• Boeing Pad Abort Test: Nov. 4, 2019 at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
  
• Boeing Orbital Flight Test: Dec. 17, 2019 at Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida
  

NASA and its commercial partners remain committed to flying astronauts as quickly as we can without compromising crew safety, and we always will give safety precedence over schedule. As more dates are reviewed, NASA will update its schedule.

[tnt22]

 Boeing Space‏ @BoeingSpace 16 мин. назад

We're counting down to launch! Our #Starliner team mated the Orbital Flight Test Crew Module to the Service Module. Getting ready to be stacked on #AtlasV!

Video (0:44)

[Чебурашка]

Предварительно 11 ноября выкатка первого Старлайнера на старт.

[tnt22]

Чебурашка написал:
Предварительно 11 ноября выкатка первого Старлайнера на старт.

 Jeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust 24 мин. назад

Boeing's Chris Ferguson: "on the cusp of a spectacular couple of months" on Starliner, reiterating previous test dates for pad abort and uncrewed orbital flight. Starliner rollover for Atlas 5 integration around Nov. 11. #IAC2019


 Stephen Clark‏ @StephenClark1 30 мин. назад

Boeing astronaut and Starliner program director Chris Ferguson: "We are really on the cusp of what is going to be a spectacular couple of months here." Pad abort set for Nov. 4 at White Sands, capsule mating to Atlas 5 around Nov. 11, OFT uncrewed launch set for Dec. 17.

[tnt22]

https://tass.ru/kosmos/7032843

23 ОКТ, 01:02
Boeing рассчитывает осуществить пилотируемый полет к МКС в первой половине 2020 года
Перед полетом будут проведены испытания системы аварийного спасения корабля

ВАШИНГТОН, 23 октября. /ТАСС/. Корпорация Boeing рассчитывает провести первый испытательный пилотируемый полет к Международной космической станции (МКС) американского корабля Starliner (CST-100) производства компании в первой половине 2020 года. Об этом сообщил во вторник старший вице-президент подразделения космических и военных разработок Boeing Джим Чилтон, выступая на 70-м Международном астронавтическом конгрессе в Вашингтоне.

"Что касается графика пилотируемых полетов, то полет без экипажа и с экипажем - это то, как мы сертифицируем систему, чтобы она могла использоваться", - сказал он. "Я думаю, что это произойдет в первой половине следующего года", - подчеркнул Чилтон.

Он уточнил, что не называет конкретных дат, поскольку создателям корабля предстоит решить непростые технические задачи. "Это инженерная проблема, над решением которой мы усиленно работаем", - отметил вице-президент Boeing. "Мы проведем испытания системы аварийного спасения корабля и предварительные летные испытания, а затем примем решение", - добавил Чилтон.

В свою очередь астронавт Крис Фергюсон, который должен войти в состав экипажа корабля Starliner при полете на МКС, также уточнил детали графика. "Менее чем через две недели у нас запланировано испытание системы аварийного спасения корабля, это демонстрационный тест, показывающий, как космический корабль может быстро отделиться от ракеты на безопасную дистанцию", - сказал он.

"Вскоре после этого, где-то 17 декабря, мы собираемся провести запуск корабля без экипажа, - сообщил Фергюсон. - Он пристыкуется к МКС, останется там в течение примерно недели, а затем вернется обратно".

Ожидания NASA

В понедельник директор Национального управления по аэронавтике и исследованию космического пространства (NASA) Джеймс Брайденстайн, отвечая на пресс-конференции на вопрос корреспондента ТАСС, сообщил, что рассчитывает на возобновление пилотируемых полетов к МКС на космических кораблях американского производства в первой половине 2020 года, однако пока тоже не ставит конкретных сроков из-за необходимости проведения большого количества испытаний.

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О пилотируемых полетах

Национальное управление США по аэронавтике и исследованию космического пространства прекратило собственные пилотируемые полеты в 2011 году после завершения программы возвращаемых кораблей Space Shuttle. С тех пор астронавты доставляются на МКС российскими кораблями "Союз". В настоящее время несколько американских компаний разрабатывают для NASA новые космические корабли для пилотируемых полетов.

Корпорация Boeing занимается созданием перспективного космического корабля CST-100 Starliner. На орбиту Starliner выведет американская ракета-носитель Atlas V.

Конкурент Starliner - корабль Crew Dragon - модификация грузового Dragon, который уже перевозит грузы для МКС. Он создан компанией SpaceX предпринимателя Илона Маска и обладает схожими характеристиками. В космос корабль будет выводить ракета Falcon-9 производства SpaceX.

Начало пилотируемых полетов американских космических кораблей неоднократно откладывалось.

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https://ria.ru/20191024/1560193603.html

В НАСА подтвердили планы тестового запуска корабля Starliner к МКС
22:25 24.10.2019

ВАШИНГТОН, 24 окт – РИА Новости. НАСА подтвердило планы осуществить первый тестовый полет пилотируемого космического корабля Starliner компании Boeing на Международную космическую станцию (МКС) 17 декабря.

Ранее в начале октября вице-президент компании Boeing Джон Малхолланд сообщил, что первый запуск Starliner без экипажа намечается на 17 декабря. Он рассказал, что полет корабля на МКС продлится неделю, после чего тот совершит посадку на полигоне Уайт-Сэндз (штат Нью-Мехико).

"Запуск корабля Starliner компании Boeing на принадлежащей компании United Launch Alliance ракете Atlas V запланирован на 17 декабря с космодрома на мысе Канаверал во Флориде", - сообщило американское космическое ведомство в четверг.

Первый тестовый полет новейшего корабля к МКС пройдет в беспилотном режиме.

В НАСА в связи с предстоящим стартом надеются, что испытательный полет "даст ценную информацию о работе ракеты Atlas V, корабля Starliner, наземных и орбитальных систем, стыковке (с МКС) и систем приземления". В агентстве отмечают, что полученные данные будут использованы для дальнейшей сертификации нового космического корабля.

Наряду с Boeing пилотируемый корабль по заказу НАСА строит компания SpaceX. Она провела первый испытательный беспилотный полет аппарата Crew Dragon в марте текущего года.

США потеряли возможность самостоятельно отправлять людей в космос в 2011 году после завершения программы Space Shuttle. НАСА заключило контракты с частными компаниями на создание пилотируемого корабля к 2019 году, но график возобновления полетов многократно пересматривался.

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Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF 28 мин. назад

Bob Cabana says to Science Tech #NAC meeting that there's "still a ways to go with both #Boeing and #SpaceX for certification."  Parachute cert is key for both and SpX #Dragon abort engines. Roughly 6-8 months likely for crew flights, he says.


Jeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust 26 мин. назад

In comments at the beginning of the NASA Advisory Council's technology committee meeting this morning, KSC director Bob Cabana says he expects Boeing and SpaceX to fly crewed test flights of their commercial crew vehicles within the next 6-8 months.

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 Jeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust 46 мин. назад

Kathy Lueders, on commercial crew: Boeing still planning pad abort test for Nov. 4 at White Sands.