A NASA C-130 freight aircraft launches a dart-shaped test car above the U.S. Armys Yuma Proving Ground on Jan. 9 to begin the screening sequence for a Boeing Starliner parachute system. Credit: U.S. Army Yuma Proving GroundBoeing effectively tested Starliners brand-new parachute system, an essential action towards its upcoming crewed mission to the International Space Station. The test verified the functionality of vital parachute parts, overseen by NASA astronauts.A customized parachute system for Boeings Starliner spacecraft for NASAs Commercial Crew Program was evaluated over the Arizona desert on January 9. Parachute release and a soft landing of the test article were aesthetically validated. Initial information analysis of this two-parachute test recommends the primary test goals were fulfilled. Engineering teams will continue to review the outcomes, examine the test parachutes, and work to total system accreditation in the weeks ahead.In the meantime, NASA and Boeing are continuing with preparations for Starliner to bring astronauts for the first time to the International Space Station during the Crew Flight Test, currently slated to introduce no earlier than mid-April on a mission lasting about 10 days.A pair of parachutes lower the dart-shaped test automobile to the ground to conclude the drop test for a modified parachute for the Starliner spacecraft. Credit: U.S. Army Yuma Proving GroundThe drop test, which used a Starliner parachute system attached to a dart-shaped sled the same weight as a Starliner, was carried out to validate the functioning of a revamped and strengthened soft link joint that is part of the network of lines connecting the parachutes to the spacecraft. The test likewise confirmed a change to reinforce one textile joint in the parachute, increasing total parachute toughness. As with other capsules, Starliner depends on parachutes to land safely when it returns to Earth.A C-130 cargo aircraft from NASAs Wallops Flight Facility in Virgina, brought the test article and parachutes high above the U.S. Armys Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona before launching them. Engineering groups, CFT astronauts Butch Wilmore, Suni Williams, and Starliner-1 astronaut Mike Fincke watched from the drop zone listed below. The Starliner primary parachutes were lifted from the test article using flight-like pilot parachutes before inflating fully to slow the test dart to the exact same soft-landing velocity experienced by the Starliner spacecraft in flight.Starliner completed two uncrewed flight tests including Orbital Flight Test-2, which docked to the spaceport station on May 21, 2022.
