Boeing’s CST-100 spacecraft completes parachute drop test

Boeing’s Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 spacecraft system has successfully completed a parachute drop test at the Delmar Dry Lake Bed near Alamo, Nevada, US.

During the drop test, the first with fully loaded elements, the combined vehicle landing system was lifted to 11,000ft and released, after which the three main parachutes were deployed to slow down the capsule’s descent for a smooth landing.

Boeing Commercial Programs vice president and program manager, John Mulholland, said: "This successful test is a tremendous milestone that brings Boeing one step closer to completing development of a system that will provide safe, reliable and affordable crewed access to space."

Part of the Boeing Commercial Crew Transportation System (CCTS), CST-100 is intended to enable the US to transport people and cargo to the International Space Station (ISS), the Bigelow Aerospace Complex and other destinations in low Earth orbit.

The development and testing of the CCTS is leveraging Boeing’s experience from the Apollo missions; re-entry and ocean landing data from the Apollo programme has been used to reduce risk and validate the post re-entry landing and recovery capability of the CST-100.

On completion of parachute inspection and re-packing, a second parachute drop test will be conducted by the end of this month, during which a drogue parachute will be deployed over the main parachute to check the performance of the full and nominal parachute system.

Boeing is also planning to conduct additional tests this year to attain further information on the chief functional elements of the spacecraft design, which include a landing air bag test series in May, as well as a forward heat shield jettison test and an orbital manoeuvring / attitude control engine hot fire test in June.

CST-100 is a reusable capsule-shaped spacecraft which is compatible with various expendable rockets and can transport about seven people, or both people and cargo.

Boeing is planning to perform the initial flight tests of CST-100 aboard the United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Atlas V launch vehicle in 2015-16.

Under the Boeing Commercial Crew programme, the company will design, manufacture, test and evaluate, and demonstrate the CST-100 spacecraft, launch vehicle and mission operations, in support of NASA’s Commercial Crew Development programme.

 

Image: The initial flight tests of CST-100 will be conducted aboard ULA’s Atlas V launch vehicle in 2015-16. Photo: Boeing image.