Engine Computer Problem Delays First SLS Launch
DannyB writes:
Engine computer problem delays first SLS launch:
A malfunctioning computer in one of the four main engines of the Space Launch System will delay that vehicle's first launch to no earlier than March.
In a statement late Dec. 17, NASA announced that SLS engineers decided they needed to replace the controller for engine four in the core stage of the SLS. One of two redundant channels in the controller failed to power up consistently during tests of the integrated vehicle at the Kennedy Space Center.
That controller operated as expected during the core stage's Green Run test campaign at the Stennis Space Center that concluded with a full-duration static-fire test in March. An initial investigation failed to identify the root cause of the problem.
[...] Even before this latest issue, there were doubts that SLS would be ready when the first launch opportunity opened Feb. 12. Before the launch itself, NASA will roll SLS out to Launch Complex 39B for tests, including a wet dress rehearsal where the rocket is loaded with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants and goes through a practice countdown that stops just before engine ignition.
Industry sources said that rollout needed to take place by the end of the December to keep preparations for a February launch on schedule. However, as of Dec. 10, NASA said the program was planning a rollout in mid-January.
Re-arranging left over space shuttle parts takes longer than the entire Apollo program.
Boeing Starliner Test Flight Planned for Spring 2022Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:
NASA and Boeing are planning no earlier than May 2022 for the rescheduled second uncrewed test flight of the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft after deciding to change service modules for that mission.
Under the revised plan, the service module that had been built for the Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission, the flight of that vehicle to carry people, will instead be used for the Orbital Flight Test (OFT) 2 mission. The CFT mission will instead use the service module for the first operational mission, called Starliner-1.
That approach could allow the OFT-2 mission to launch in the spring. Boeing will work United Launch Alliance, whose Atlas 5 will launch the spacecraft, and the Eastern Range to consider a launch opportunity in May. That date will depend on both the readiness of the spacecraft and the schedule of other vehicles visiting the International Space Station.
[Ed's Comment: Note the difference in quoted launch dates between the 2 reports]
Original Submission #1 Original Submission #2
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