[Reading Science] Tangled Boeing Space Capsule... Korea-US Joint 'CODEX' Launch Sparks Controversy

Boeing 'Starliner' Malfunctions at International Space Station
Astronauts May Stay for 8 Months
Korea-US Jointly Developed Coronagraph Launch Delayed by One Month

Problems with the American aerospace company Boeing have also affected South Korea's space program. NASA's plan to use a spacecraft developed by a private company to travel to and from the International Space Station (ISS) has been disrupted, and the launch and operation of the coronagraph for the ISS, which the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) have been working on for a long time, have also been delayed.

Boeing's space capsule Starliner is docked at the International Space Station.
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

◇ Boeing’s spacecraft development receives failing marks = According to foreign media, NASA recently attempted the first crewed test flight of Boeing's spacecraft, the ‘CST-100 Starliner (Starliner),’ but is now considering using Boeing’s competitor SpaceX’s spacecraft to bring astronauts who have been staying on the ISS for over two months back to Earth. In a recent online press conference, NASA revealed that it is seriously considering using SpaceX’s ‘Crew Dragon’ to return NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita Williams to Earth.

Boeing and SpaceX are rival companies competing for contracts with NASA. While SpaceX has grown by relatively smoothly meeting NASA’s requirements, Boeing has faced multiple launch delays and a critical situation where its spacecraft malfunctioned at the space station and could not return. The Starliner experienced several issues such as helium leaks and thruster malfunctions during the docking process with the ISS after launch from Earth. These problems have yet to be resolved, causing repeated delays in the astronauts’ scheduled return.

The Starliner was developed as a crewed capsule to transport astronauts to and from the ISS in Earth orbit alongside SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, but it is already far behind SpaceX. SpaceX’s Crew Dragon completed its first crewed test flight in 2020 and began commercial operations. The first crewed test flight of Crew Dragon attracted significant attention as a symbol of astronaut transportation by a private company. Then-President Donald Trump even flew to Florida to watch the launch. In contrast, Starliner failed its first uncrewed test flight in December 2019, only succeeded in an uncrewed flight in May 2022, and has again caused problems, becoming a headache for NASA.

This is a painful situation for Boeing, which has recently been criticized for frequent problems in the aviation sector. SpaceX has taken the lead with its Falcon 9 launch vehicle and laid the foundation for Mars exploration with Starship. However, Boeing is struggling even to reach the ISS in Earth orbit, widening the gap further.

If this crewed test flight also fails, the development process will be further prolonged. Earlier this month, Boeing announced that an additional $125 million would be spent on Starliner development, bringing the total cost since 2016 to $1.6 billion (about 2.2 trillion KRW), exceeding initial estimates.

Two astronauts who boarded the Starliner heading to the International Space Station are expected to extend their originally planned one-week journey to about eight months.
[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

◇ Astronauts aboard Boeing’s spacecraft face up to 8 months in space = According to NASA’s plan, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon will carry only two astronauts to the ISS instead of the originally planned four, and Wilmore and Williams will return to Earth aboard this spacecraft in February next year. The two astronauts, who left Earth in June and have been staying on the ISS for over two months, will remain on the ISS for about eight months until February next year. The originally planned ISS stay was one week.

The Starliner issues are causing a chain reaction that disrupts subsequent missions. NASA has already postponed the launch of the Dragon capsule for the ‘Crew-9’ mission, which sends astronauts to the ISS, from the 18th of this month to the 24th of next month. This measure considers using the Dragon capsule as the return vehicle for Starliner astronauts. If NASA uses SpaceX’s spacecraft for astronaut return, Starliner will first attempt an uncrewed return flight.

Ken Bowersox, NASA Deputy Administrator, said, "Looking at the situation over the past one to two weeks, the possibility that Starliner will return without carrying astronauts has increased slightly," adding, "We are examining this option more closely to determine if it is feasible."

(Top right) CODEX mounted in a large chamber for testing in a thermal vacuum environment simulating outer space. (Bottom left) CODEX installation location on the International Space Station. Photo by Cheonmunyeon

◇ Launch of Korea-US jointly developed coronagraph also delayed = Boeing’s problems have affected the overall ISS-related launch schedule. The launch of the coronagraph ‘CODEX (Coronal Diagnostic Experiment),’ jointly developed by South Korea and the United States to observe the solar corona, has been postponed from September to October. On the 8th, KARI and KASI held a press briefing at the Science and Technology Advisory Meeting room in Jongno, Seoul, to explain the CODEX launch plan. Hyunwoo Kang, Program Manager for Space Science Exploration Missions at KARI, explained, "NASA informed us a day before that the coronagraph launch would be delayed by about a month." Although the coronagraph is scheduled to be launched aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and there are no issues with the launch itself, the overall schedule was delayed considering the ISS situation.

A coronagraph is a special telescope that can observe the corona, the outermost region of the solar atmosphere, whose brightness is less than one-millionth that of the solar surface. Until now, coronagraphs have only captured the shape of the solar corona, but CODEX is designed to be the world’s first instrument to simultaneously observe the corona’s shape, temperature, and velocity in one device and visualize it as a 2D image.

The Korea-US joint research team began joint development of CODEX in October 2019, completed integrated assembly in April this year, and finished final pre-launch checks such as communication and control function tests at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and Kennedy Space Center from late last month to early this month. KARI explained that South Korea invested about 20 billion KRW and the United States about 30 billion KRW for this project.

On the afternoon of the 8th, Choi Moon-hwan, a principal researcher at the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, explained related details during the final inspection performance briefing of the Coronagraph held at the National Science and Technology Advisory Council in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The Coronagraph is a telescope that can observe the corona, the outer part of the solar atmosphere that is more than a million times darker than the surface of the sun.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

After launch, NASA astronauts aboard the ISS will install and test operate CODEX on the ISS for about 3 to 4 weeks, followed by operation for 6 months to 2 years. CODEX plans to measure the temperature and velocity of the corona in the region ranging from three to ten times the solar radius.

KARI and KASI expect that CODEX will enable exploration of still unknown aspects related to the solar corona, such as why the Sun’s outer layer is so hot and how the solar wind accelerates so much. They also anticipate that this will help improve the accuracy of space weather forecasting.

Dr. Seonghwan Choi of KASI, who conducted the final checks in the United States and returned to Korea, said that NASA was responsible for developing the coronagraph’s optical system, photomechanical parts, and solar tracking device, as well as installation and operation on the ISS. He added, "The technologies secured through the development of CODEX can be expanded into space, defense, and semiconductor industries."