Despite several delays and technical setbacks, Boeing is set to launch its first crewed test flight to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of its agreement with NASA.
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is scheduled to launch on Saturday, June 1 at 12:25 p.m. ET from the Cape Canaveral space station in Florida. The crew capsule will ride atop United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket, carrying NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the space station and back.
NASA will livestream the launch on its website and the space agency’s YouTube channel, and you can also follow it via the stream below. Launch coverage will begin at 8:15 a.m. ET. Boeing will also broadcast the launch live on its website.
It’s been an arduous journey to get to this point, and frankly, the upcoming launch has us very anxious. The company initially targeted May 6 for Starliner liftoff, but a last-minute anomaly with one of the Atlas V rocket’s pressure valves delayed the crewed test flight to May 17. Just a few days before the launch, however, Starliner teams detected a small helium leak. in the spacecraft’s service module, prompting them to push back the launch to May 21 before it is delayed indefinitely.
Earlier this week, Boeing announced that it had decided to fly the astronaut crew on the leaking Starliner spacecraft without fixing the problem. Boeing Vice President Mark Nappi said fixing the leak would require dismantling the Starliner spacecraft at its factory, AFP reported. Instead, Starliner teams will monitor the leak before launch on Saturday.
The Boeing crewed flight test is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and is intended to transport crew and cargo to and from the International Space Station (ISS) under a 4-year contract. 3 billion dollars with the space agency. NASA’s other commercial partner, SpaceX, has just launched its eighth crew to the space station.
Starliner’s first uncrewed test flight in 2019 successfully reached space, but a software automation issue caused the spacecraft to burn excess fuel, preventing it from reaching the ISS. Starliner miscalculated its position in space due to a problem caused by a faulty mission timer.
The failed first flight prompted NASA to request a second test flight of the empty spacecraft before a crew boarded. In May 2022, Boeing completed Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2), the second uncrewed test flight of the Starliner, paving the way for a crewed test flight. But OFT-2 experienced some setbacks, including the failure of a thruster used for orbital maneuvers.
The launch of Boeing’s crewed Starliner was originally scheduled for February 2023, then postponed to late April and finally rescheduled for July 21, 2023. Weeks before liftoff, however, the company announced that it was withdrawing from the launch attempt to solve new problems. with the crew’s vehicle, including a mile of flammable tape that had to be removed manually.
Despite all these failures, NASA remains dedicated to the Starliner program and counts on two commercial partners transporting its astronauts to low Earth orbit. With the spacecraft leaking, Saturday’s launch poses a major test for NASA’s relationship with its entourage of private companies.
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