Boeing Starliner's Delay In Returning To Earth Forces NASA To Postpone Crew-9 Mission Launch To ISS
Boeing Starliner's Delay In Returning To Earth Forces NASA To Postpone Crew-9 Mission Launch To ISS
NASA said on Tuesday that it is now looking to launch the agency's crew-9 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) no earlier than Sept. 24 in a bid to give Boeing Starliner mission managers time to confirm its return to Earth.
NASA週二表示，爲了給波音Starliner任務的經理們時間確認其回到地球，宇航局現在計劃將該機構的Crew-9任務最早延遲到9月24日進行。
What Happened: Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is currently docked at the orbiting laboratory. Starliner, which launched with two astronauts to space in early June, was supposed to return in about eight days. However, technical issues identified with the spacecraft while docking have delayed a return journey. NASA and Boeing are currently evaluating the spacecraft's reliability for the return flight but no final decisions have been made, the space agency said on Tuesday.
發生了什麼事：波音（Boeing）的Starliner航天器目前停靠在軌道實驗室中。Starliner航天器於6月初與兩名宇航員一起發射進入太空，本應在約8天后返回。然而，航天器對接期間發現了技術問題，這延遲了回程。宇航局和波音目前正在評估航天器的可靠性，以進行返航航班，但宇航局週二表示，尚未作出最終決定。
SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft was initially scheduled to launch four astronauts to the space station on Aug. 18 as part of the Crew-9 mission. However, the mission has now been delayed by over a month.
SpaceX旗下的Crew Dragon宇宙飛船最初計劃於8月18日發射四名宇航員參加Crew-9任務，但此任務現已延遲了一個多月。
"This adjustment allows more time for mission managers to finalize return planning for the agency's Boeing Crew Flight Test currently docked to the orbiting laboratory," NASA said in a statement.
NASA在聲明中表示：「這一調整爲任務經理們提供了更多時間，以確定宇航局的波音船員飛行測試返回計劃，該計劃目前已經停靠在軌道實驗室中。」
Why It Matters: Boeing's Starliner spacecraft has been marred by several delays since the start. The spacecraft was supposed to have its first uncrewed test flight in 2015 which was delayed up to 2019. The spacecraft then failed to achieve its intended orbit. In 2022, the spacecraft completed its first successful uncrewed flight to the International Space Station.
爲什麼重要：Boeing公司的Starliner航天器從一開始就遭遇多次延誤。航天器本應在2015年進行首次無人測試飛行，但被推遲到2019年。隨後航天器未能達到預期軌道。到2022年，該航天器完成了首次成功的無人飛行，前往國際空間站。
NASA awarded both Boeing and SpaceX contracts to enable transportation to and from the ISS after retiring its space shuttle. SpaceX sent its first crewed mission to the ISS in 2020 on its Dragon spacecraft and has since then undertaken multiple missions, overtaking its traditional rival.
NASA在停用太空船後，授予了波音和SpaceX運輸往返國際空間站的合同。SpaceX於2020年將其Dragon宇宙飛船發送到國際空間站執行首個載人任務，此後還進行了多次任務，超越了傳統競爭對手。
If the ongoing crewed flight test is successful, Boeing will become the next private company to shuttle astronauts to and from the ISS for NASA, like Elon Musk's SpaceX.
如果正在進行的載人試飛成功，波音將成爲下一家爲NASA接送航天員往返於ISS的私人公司，就像埃隆·馬斯克的SpaceX一樣。
Late last month, NASA's Commercial Crew Program manager Steve Stich said that while the focus is on returning the astronauts aboard Starliner itself, using SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft to return the astronauts in case the Starliner can't is also a possibility.
上個月底，NASA的商業機組計劃經理史蒂夫·斯蒂奇（Steve Stich）表示，雖然重點是讓星艦上的宇航員返回，但如果Starliner無法返回，使用SpaceX的Dragon宇宙飛船返回宇航員也是一種可能性。
Check out more of Benzinga's Future Of Mobility coverage by following this link.
通過以下鏈接查看更多財經新聞《Benzinga智庫：移動出行未來》
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Photos courtesy: Shutterstock and NASA
圖片由Shutterstock和美國國家航空航天局提供。