Boeing Removes A “Mile” Of Flammable Tape From Ship Ahead Of Maiden Astronaut Launch

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After a multi year delay that has seen several scrubs and scheduling problems, Boeing is ready to become NASA's second private contractor for crewed missions to the International Space Station (ISS). Boeing's CFT crew flight test mission is slated for liftoff in May as of now, and representatives from the company and NASA shared details about the flight earlier today. The upcoming mission will be Boeing's first crewed flight to the ISS, and it follows Starliner's orbital flight test (OFT) in 2022, which was the last time the spacecraft took to the skies.

A lot has changed on the ship since then, with Boeing's Starliner lead Mark Nappi explaining today that his firm is confident with the spacecraft's parachute system and wiring tape, which were key problems that had delayed CFT originally slated to take place last year.

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Two key issues with Starliner that have delayed its first crewed orbital test flight by a year involved its parachute system and protective tape covering its wiring system. Both of these were crucial problems, as the parachute system did not meet NASA standards for redundancy while the tape used was flammable.

During today's conference, Boeing's Nappi shared that the firm has tested the new parachute system and has implemented the changes not only on the current spacecraft but also on the next Starliner mission called Starliner 1. If CFT is successful and NASA certifies the ship, along with a license from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), then Starliner 1 will mark Boeing's first operational crewed flight to the ISS.

According to NASA's Steve Stich, this certification should take place over the course of this year after Starliner returns from space in