Boeing's Starliner Spacecraft and Atlas V Rocket Rolled Back to Launch Pad for Valve Replacement, Delaying First-Ever Astronaut Mission

Cape Canaveral, Florida United States of America
Boeing's Commercial Crew Program contract with NASA awarded in 2014
Boeing's Starliner spacecraft and Atlas V rocket rolled back to launch pad for valve replacement
First-ever astronaut mission, known as Crew Flight Test (CFT), aims to pave way for long-duration flights to International Space Station (ISS)
SpaceX has already successfully flown NASA astronauts to ISS via Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 rocket in 2019
Starliner-Atlas V stack scheduled for early May launch, but plans delayed by this setback
Valve replacement required due to buzzing sound emanating from launcher's upper stage
Boeing's Starliner Spacecraft and Atlas V Rocket Rolled Back to Launch Pad for Valve Replacement, Delaying First-Ever Astronaut Mission

In a significant development in the realm of space exploration, Boeing's Starliner spacecraft and its Atlas V rocket have been rolled back to the launch pad at Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. This follows a buzzing sound emanating from a valve in the launcher's upper stage, which required replacement. The Starliner-Atlas V stack was initially scheduled for an early May launch, but this setback has delayed those plans. The spacecraft is set to embark on its first-ever astronaut mission, known as Crew Flight Test (CFT), a trial run to the International Space Station (ISS) in collaboration with NASA. This mission aims to pave the way for long-duration flights to the orbiting lab as part of Boeing's Commercial Crew Program contract with NASA, which was awarded in 2014. Notably, SpaceX has already successfully flown NASA astronauts to the ISS via its Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 rocket, achieving this milestone nearly four years ago. As we await further updates on Boeing's Starliner mission, it remains to be seen how this valve issue will impact the timeline for future launches and whether SpaceX will continue to lead the way in commercial space travel collaborations with NASA.


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Confidence

100%

No Doubts Found At Time Of Publication

Sources

92%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

The Latest in Boeing’s Starliner Fiasco Is a Feud Over That 'Buzzing' Valve

Gizmodo Passant Rabie Friday, 10 May 2024 20:05
  • Unique Points
    • ValveTech warned NASA of a potential disaster on the launchpad and advised immediate halt of the Starliner launch.
    • ValveTech had previously sued Aerojet Rocketdyne for allegedly misusing its trade secrets for new valve designs and claimed that the valve used for Starliner’s propulsion system is not qualified to the right specifications and not evaluated to ensure safety protocols.
  • Accuracy
    • Boeing's Starliner spacecraft launch was delayed due to a faulty valve discovered hours before liftoff.
    • , ValveTech warned NASA of a potential disaster on the launchpad and advised immediate halt of the Starliner launch.
    • , ValveTech had previously sued Aerojet Rocketdyne for allegedly misusing its trade secrets for new valve designs and claimed that the valve used for Starliner’s propulsion system is not qualified to the right specifications and not evaluated to ensure safety protocols.
    • ULA CEO Tory Bruno called ValveTech’s speculation about the scrubbed launch as ‘inaccurate and irresponsible.’
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (75%)
    The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy in the form of a quote from ValveTech's President Erin Faville. Additionally, there is an example of inflammatory rhetoric in the description of Boeing's history with Starliner as a 'fiasco' and multiple instances where the author, Passant Rabie, emphasizes the negative aspects of Boeing's past performance.
    • NASA needs to re-double safety checks and re-examine safety protocols to make sure the Starliner is safe before something catastrophic happens to the astronauts and to the people on the ground
    • The latest delay to the launch of Boeing's Starliner may not have been the company's own fault, but it did spark a hilarious, if not misguided, spat to continue the streak of misfortunes that has plagued the program from the start.
    • Boeing's crewed Starliner launch was initially set for February 2023, then postponed to late April, and finally rescheduled for July 21, 2023. A few weeks before liftoff, however, the company announced that it was standing down from the launch attempt to address newfound issues with the crew vehicle...
  • Bias (95%)
    The author expresses bias towards ValveTech by reporting their warnings and concerns about the valve used in Starliner's propulsion system without providing any evidence that their concerns are valid. The author also uses language that depicts Aerojet Rocketdyne in a negative light, implying they misused ValveTech's trade secrets and improperly qualified the valve for the mission.
    • Not sure what to say about this one. Close to none of it is correct...Remarkable that the particular person quoted doesn’t seem to know how this type of valve works.
      • ValveTech continues to question how NASA, Boeing and Aerojet could have qualified this valve for the mission without proper supporting data or previous history or legacy information, which in its experience, goes against aerospace-industry qualification protocols established by NASA.
      • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication

      100%

      The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
      (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

      A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

      NASA Invites Social Creators for Launch of NOAA Weather Satellite

      National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Thursday, 09 May 2024 20:54
      • Unique Points
        • NOAA’s GOES-U satellite launch is scheduled for June 25, 2023 on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
        • GOES-U carries a suite of instruments for advanced imagery, atmospheric measurements, real-time mapping of lightning activity, and detecting approaching space weather hazards.
        • A new compact coronagraph will image the outer layer of the Sun’s atmosphere to detect and characterize coronal mass ejections.
        • Registration for social media users to attend the launch opens on May 9 and closes on May 14. Only US citizens are eligible to register due to security deadlines.
        • Selected participants will be given access similar to news media, including viewing the launch, touring NASA facilities, meeting experts, and interacting with fellow space enthusiasts.
      • Accuracy
        No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
      • Deception (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Fallacies (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Bias (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication

      100%

      The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
      (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

      A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

      NASA Stuck in the Middle of Starliner Contractors’ Valve Fight

      PayloadSpace.com Tim Fernholz Friday, 10 May 2024 12:30
      • Unique Points
        • NASA's commercial crew program manager, Steve Stich, has seen a change in Boeing culture since the first orbital flight test.
        • The US highest scientific laboratory, ISS, is changing with the times.
        • Two non-maneuverable space objects came close to each other for the sixth time in the last two years.
        • The government needs to consider regulations for commercial space stations as the private sector prepares to take reins from ISS.
      • Accuracy
        No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
      • Deception (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Fallacies (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Bias (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication

      91%

      The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
      (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

      A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

      Elon Musk bashes historic Boeing astronaut flight, SpaceX did it first

      Business Insider Morgan McFall-Johnsen Saturday, 11 May 2024 00:07
      • Unique Points
        • Elon Musk criticized Boeing before its first astronaut flight to space.
        • SpaceX beat Boeing to the punch by flying NASA astronauts to the International Space Station four years earlier.
      • Accuracy
        • Boeing's Starliner launch has faced multiple delays and issues, including a botched uncrewed test flight in 2019.
      • Deception (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Fallacies (85%)
        The author makes an appeal to authority by quoting Eric Berger's article and attributing the delays in Boeing's Starliner project to 'too many non-technical managers.' However, this is an oversimplification and does not provide evidence for a formal fallacy. The author also uses inflammatory rhetoric by stating that Boeing has 'too many non-technical managers,' which is a subjective statement and does not provide any concrete evidence.
        • ]The Commercial Crew Program represents a major shift in how NASA sees its contractors. Going forward, from space stations to the moon to Mars, NASA wants to foster a new competitive economy in space. Rather than the entity running everything, the agency wants to be one of many customers on companies’ space stations, spaceships, and lunar bases.[
        • But commentators like Musk and Berger say there’s an underlying cause.
        • That’s part of why Crew Dragon and Starliner were on fixed-price contracts.
        • A spokesperson told Berger that ‘challenges arise when the fixed price acquisition approach is applied to serious technology development requirements, or when the requirements are not firmly and specifically defined resulting in trades that continue back and forth before a final design baseline is established.’
        • According to Berger, the spokesperson added: ‘A fixed price contract offers little flexibility for solving hard problems that are common in new product and capability development.’
      • Bias (80%)
        The author, Morgan McFall-Johnsen, demonstrates a clear bias towards SpaceX and Elon Musk in this article. The author repeatedly mentions SpaceX's achievements and Boeing's delays without providing equal weight to both sides of the story. The author also quotes Elon Musk directly several times, while only quoting Boeing once through a spokesperson. This disproportionate number of quotes reflects a specific position in favor of SpaceX.
        • According to Berger, the spokesperson added: ‘A fixed price contract offers little flexibility for solving hard problems that are common in new product and capability development.’
          • A spokesperson told Berger that ‘challenges arise when the fixed price acquisition approach is applied to serious technology development requirements, or when the requirements are not firmly and specifically defined resulting in trades that continue back and forth before a final design baseline is established.’
            • Musk was reposting an Ars Technica article by the publication’s senior space editor Eric Berger, which laid out in detail how Boeing decisively lost the commercial crew space race, and it proved to be a very costly affair.
              • SpaceX finished 4 years sooner.
              • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication
              • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication

              97%

              The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
              (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

              A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

              Boeing's Starliner rolled off launch pad to replace 'buzzing' rocket valve (photo)

              Space.com Mike Wall Wednesday, 08 May 2024 22:00
              • Unique Points
                • Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft and its Atlas V rocket roll off the launch pad at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on May 8, 2024, heading to an assembly building for replacing a misbehaving valve in the launcher’s upper stage.
                • The Starliner capsule and its United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket are scheduled to launch no earlier than May 17, kicking off Starliner’s first-ever astronaut mission, a trial run to the International Space Station (ISS) called Crew Flight Test (CFT).
                • The launch was initially pushed back due to an oxygen relief valve in the Atlas V’s Centaur upper stage opening and closing rapidly, creating a noticeable buzzing sound.
                • The Starliner-Atlas V stack had to be rolled back to its integration facility so that the buzzing valve could be replaced, delaying the initial launch target of May 10.
              • Accuracy
                • The faulty valve was discovered hours before liftoff.
                • The buzzing valve had to be replaced, delaying the initial launch target.
              • Deception (100%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication
              • Fallacies (100%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication
              • Bias (100%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication
              • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication
              • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication