NASA livestream: Boeing's Starliner ahead of first crewed flight to the ISS
Boeing's Starliner has been to space twice, but always without a crew. On Tuesday night, the Boeing spacecraft is set to take off manned for the first time.
The Starliner on the launch pad
(Bild: NASA/Joel Kowsky)
(Bild: NASA/Joel Kowsky)
On Tuesday night, Boeing's Starliner is due to launch into space with humans on board for the first time and there is a 95% chance that the weather will cooperate. This was announced by NASA, whose astronaut Butch Wilmore and astronaut Suni Williams form the crew. The spacecraft is scheduled to take off from the US Space Force's Cape Canaveral spaceport in the US state of Florida and then travel until Wednesday. If everything goes smoothly, this will mark the end of a preparation phase that has been fraught with problems and in which the manufacturer Boeing lost touch with the competition from SpaceX years ago. For years, the two companies developed spaceships for NASA in parallel. However, SpaceX's has long been in regular operation, while the Starliner is now facing its dress rehearsal.
Ever new delays
The first manned launch of the Starliner was initially planned for 2017, but this did not work out. The spacecraft took off for the first time in December 2019, but did not reach the International Space Station (ISS) as planned. A repeat mission was therefore scheduled, which was also delayed further and further. The second launch was only successful in May 2022, when the unmanned spacecraft also reached the ISS. However, because technical difficulties were discovered on the Starliner again afterward, the first flight with a crew on board was also delayed once more. If everything now goes according to plan, NASA wants to certify the spacecraft for regular launches and have an alternative to SpaceX's Crew Dragon available from next year.
The Starliner is now to be sent into space with an Atlas V rocket from the United Launch Alliance. The flight to the ISS is scheduled to take around 24 hours. Several tests are to be carried out during this time. The Starliner will then dock independently at the ISS. Wilmore and Williams will then join Expedition 71 for around a week and carry out various tasks, mainly to further check the spacecraft. After their departure, they will also temporarily steer the Starliner manually before it returns to Earth autonomously. The spacecraft will land at a US military site in the west of the USA, for which there are several to choose from.
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NASA plans to broadcast the launch in a live stream, starting shortly after midnight at 0:30 CEST. The rocket is then scheduled to lift off at 4:34 a.m. CEST early Tuesday morning. Final preparations will be carried out beforehand. The US space agency will provide information on the results of these in the mission blog, among other places. The Starliner used is named Calypso, and this will be the third flight into space for both crew members. Wilmore and Williams have been in quarantine since April 25 and have assured us that they feel very safe. When the Starliner is released for regular flights, four people will be able to fly into space with it. They are unlikely to be able to expect this from the crisis-ridden US company Boeing.
(mho)