Boeing's 2nd Starliner software glitch could have led to an in-space collision

[Valin]

Space.com

Starliner's crew module could have "bumped" into its service module after separation if Boeing hadn't caught the error.

Hanneke Weitering

Feb. 8 2020

Seven weeks after Boeing's CST-100 Starliner failed to reach the International Space Station as planned during its first orbital flight test, NASA and Boeing officials disclosed the preliminary results of an investigation into what went wrong. 

The uncrewed Starliner spacecraft launched atop an Atlas V rocket on Dec. 20, 2019, on a mission to dock with the International Space Station (ISS). The mission was designed to demonstrate the new spacecraft's ability to safely transport astronauts to and from the orbiting laboratory. However, Starliner failed to reach the correct orbit and instead spent the next two days circling Earth alone before executing a picture-perfect landing in New Mexico's White Sands Missile Range on Dec. 22. 

In a teleconference with reporters on Friday (Feb. 7), NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said that an independent review team has identified several issues during the Orbital Flight Test (OFT) mission, particularly when it comes to the spacecraft's software. Along with the previously disclosed error with Starliner's onboard timer, a second software issue could have potentially led to a slight but problematic collision of two of the spacecraft's components, investigators determined.

(Snip)