spacetoday.net: Boeing considers Starliner valve redesign

Posted: Sun, May 15, 2022, 9:20 AM ET (1320 GMT)
Boeing says it's considering a long-term design change for valves on its CST-100 Starliner commercial crew vehicle to fix corrosion discovered last year. The company has adopted several changes for the upcoming OFT-2 uncrewed test flight that don't require modifications to the valves, such as dry purges with nitrogen gas to remove moisture. But at a briefing about the mission Wednesday, a Boeing executive said a valve redesign is "on the table" as a long-term fix, something the company had not previously acknowledged. The comment came after Boeing told Reuters about planned design changes amid a dispute with the valve supplier, Aerojet Rocketdyne, on the cause of corrosion that made the valves stick during a launch attempt last year. NASA and Boeing said the OFT-2 mission remains on track for launch May 19.