NASA and Boeing are preparing for the launch of the Starliner spacecraft, which will be piloted by Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams and fellow NASA astronaut Barry “Butch” Wilmore. This mission, part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, is scheduled to take off from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center today at around 10 PM Indian Standard Time.
This launch marks Williams’ third space mission and the first time humans will board the Starliner spacecraft. The spacecraft will be launched into space on an Atlas 5 rocket provided by United Launch Alliance (ULA) and is expected to dock with the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday.
The astronauts will spend about a week on the ISS conducting various tests. On June 10, the Starliner will undock from the ISS and return to Earth, landing in the southwestern United States with the help of parachutes and airbags.
If this mission is successful, it will pave the way for NASA to certify Starliner and its systems for regular crewed missions to the ISS. The Starliner capsule is designed to carry up to four astronauts or a mix of crew and cargo for NASA missions to low Earth orbit.
NASA, Boeing, and ULA have been preparing for this launch, and Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, expressed confidence in the readiness of the teams involved. The rocket and spacecraft rolled out to the launch pad on May 30, and both Williams and Wilmore have been in preflight quarantine since May 28.
The mission faced several delays earlier this month. Originally scheduled for May 7, it was postponed due to a valve issue in the Atlas 5 rocket’s upper stage, which was fixed by May 11. Subsequent minor issues, including a helium leak, pushed the launch to May 25 before finally settling on the current date.
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This flight is significant as it marks Boeing’s first crewed mission with the Starliner spacecraft, developed under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program to work with the US aerospace industry in launching astronauts from American soil.
In 2014, NASA selected Boeing and SpaceX to develop spacecraft for crewed missions to the ISS. SpaceX’s Crew Dragon has already completed 12 crewed missions since 2020, while Boeing aims to catch up with Starliner.
Sunita Williams, originally from Needham, Massachusetts, has a strong background with degrees from the US Naval Academy and the Florida Institute of Technology. She has previously spent 322 days in space across two missions and conducted seven spacewalks. Barry Wilmore, 61, also has extensive experience with 178 days in space and four spacewalks.
Boeing plans to use the Starliner for six manned missions over the next six years, coinciding with the projected end of the ISS’s lifespan. NASA intends to utilize both SpaceX’s Dragon and Boeing’s Starliner for missions to the ISS every six months.
Boeing received over $4 billion from the US government to develop the Starliner, while SpaceX received about $2.6 billion for its Dragon spacecraft. This launch represents a significant milestone for Boeing as it aims to join SpaceX in providing reliable crewed space missions for NASA.
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