The Boeing-made Starliner spacecraft will carry astronauts to the International Space Station for the first time in years, in its first manned flight. The company achieved… X” achieved a similar feat.
It was the last test flight of the Starliner before it started regular operations and was very important for the airline, whose reputation was damaged at the last stage.
Production of the Starliner vehicle, ordered by NASA 10 years ago, has faced a series of setbacks and subsequent postponements that Boeing hopes to put an end to.
return home
US astronauts Butch Willmore and Sonny Williams will launch next Monday from Cape Canaveral, Florida (02:34 GMT Tuesday) inside the “Starliner” capsule, which will be propelled into orbit by an “Atlas V” rocket built by United Launch. alliance “.
The two U.S. Navy astronauts have been to the International Space Station twice before, and then “it’s going to be like coming home” aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, said Sonny Williams.
Of the capsule that will carry them to the International Space Station, Butch Wilmore said, “All the details of it are new and unique,” adding, “I don’t think any of us would have dreamed of taking part in the first flight. A completely new vehicle.”
Dana Weigel, who is in charge of the International Space Station program, said the challenge for NASA is to have a second vehicle to accompany the SpaceX vehicle to transport American astronauts.
Weigel explained that the capability would allow for a better response to “any emergency incidents,” such as vehicle problems, for example.
Docking with international station
Starliner is scheduled to dock with the International Space Station next Wednesday around 05:00 GMT and will remain there for more than a week. Tests will be conducted to make sure it works, and then the astronauts will be transported back to Earth.
The success of this mission will bring a good end to an innovation project full of hurdles.
In 2019, during the first unmanned test, the capsule did not take its correct course and returned to Earth before arriving at the International Space Station.
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In 2021, while the rocket was on the launch pad, a malfunction occurred that prevented the capsule’s valves from working, causing the mission to be postponed again.
The vehicle finally arrived empty at the International Space Station in May 2022.
After the first manned flight of the capsule, it can begin its operational flights to the International Space Station.
The sixth vehicle
Boeing had hoped to be able to make the first manned flight in 2022, but problems discovered late, particularly with the parachutes that control the capsule during reentry into Earth’s atmosphere, delayed the launch date.
Boeing executive Mark Nappi said in a press conference, “We’ve had some surprising problems that we’ve had to overcome, but it’s made our teams very strong and proud of the way they’ve overcome each problem.”
“It is normal to take 10 years to build a spaceship for humans,” he said.
“We will encounter unexpected developments during this mission, and we expect to learn because this is an experimental mission,” said NASA Associate Administrator Jim Frey.
He pointed out that “Starliner” was the sixth US space shuttle to be launched by astronauts.
The “Dragon” capsule developed by “SpaceX” joined this exclusive club in 2020, following the “Mercury,” “Gemini” and “Apollo” space programs.
Once the Starliner is operational, NASA intends to alternate between SpaceX and Boeing vehicles to transport astronauts to the International Space Station.
In 2014, NASA signed fixed-sum contracts with SpaceX ($2.6 billion) and Boeing ($4.2 billion) to build two spacecraft.
Eric Seedhouse, an assistant professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, told Agence France-Presse, “Everybody thought that (SpaceX) would be the first company in the industry to send astronauts to the International Space Station (Boeing) and it’s an embarrassment to Boeing.”
As the International Space Station nears retirement in 2030, several companies plan to build the Starliner and Dragon, which will be used to transport humans to future private space stations.
