Boeing's Starliner Demonstrates Parachute Success in Preparation for Astronaut Adventure

The testing sequence for the parachute system of Boeing's Starliner began when a NASA C-130 cargo aircraft dropped a dart-like test vehicle over the Yuma Proving Ground, an installation belonging to the U.S. Army, on January 9. The credit for the launch is awarded to the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground.

The testing was a success, putting the new parachute system of Starliner to the test which is a significant progression towards the imminent manned mission of the spacecraft to the International Space Station. NASA astronauts verified the effectiveness of critical parachute components in the test.

On January 9, over Arizona’s desert, a specially adapted parachute system for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program’s Starliner spacecraft underwent tests. The test verified the successful deployment of the parachute and a gentle landing was visually validated. The initial analysis of the data gathered from the double-parachute tests indicates that the main test objectives were achieved. Engineering teams are set to evaluate the results, inspect the tested parachutes, and work on finishing system certification in the following weeks.

In the interim, both NASA and Boeing carry on with the preparatory work for the maiden voyage of astronauts to the International Space Station aboard Starliner during the Crew Flight Test. The latter is expected to take off in mid-April at the earliest for a 10-day mission.

The closing part of the drop test for the modified parachute of Starliner saw the dart-shaped test vehicle make a soft landing thanks to a pair of parachutes. The credit goes to the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground.

A dart-shaped sled, weighing the same as the Starliner and attached to its parachute system was used for the drop test. The purpose of this was to authenticate how a redesigned and antagonistically engineered soft link joint worked. This is one of the interlinking lines connecting the spacecraft and parachutes. The overall robustness of the parachute was enhanced thanks to a strength-enhancing change made to one textile joint in the parachute. Similar to other space capsules, the Starliner also depends on parachutes for a safe return to Earth.

Before being dropped over the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, the test vehicle and parachutes were transported aboard a NASA C-130 cargo aircraft from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Engineering teams were joined by CFT astronauts Butch Wilmore, Suni Williams, and Starliner-1 astronaut Mike Fincke who observed the drop from below, in the drop zone. The Starliner's main parachutes were detached from the test vehicle using pilot parachutes, similar to those utilized in flights, before being fully inflated to bring the test dart to a soft-landing speed, the same as what the Starliner spacecraft is expected to encounter in flight.

Two unmanned flight tests of the Starliner have been successfully completed which include the Orbital Flight Test-2 that docked on the space station on May 21, 2022.