Boeing’s Starliner successfully launches to International Space Station | Science & Tech News
Boeing’s space capsule, which has faced challenges, has successfully launched with two astronauts on board
The first crewed test flight of Starliner had faced delays due to various faults, either with the capsule itself or the rocket that propelled it from pad 41 at Cape Canaveral in Florida.
Commander Butch Wilmore and colleague Suni Williams will dock with the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday and spend a week there before returning to Earth.
Suni is the first female test pilot of an orbital spacecraft.
Three previous attempts to launch this year were canceled, most recently on Saturday when the countdown was stopped with only three minutes and 50 seconds remaining.
However, Wednesday’s launch went smoothly, with Starliner ascending into the sky on a United Launch Alliance rocket.
The capsule took an unusual shallow ascent to allow the crew a better chance of aborting the flight if needed all the way to orbit. Additional safety modifications were made to the rocket for quick separation in case of an emergency.
Starliner is an important alternative to Space X’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, currently the only shuttle for US, European, Canadian, and Japanese astronauts to and from the ISS.
If NASA approves Starliner after this test flight, Boeing is expected to begin operational flights in spring 2025.
In 2014, NASA commissioned Space X and Boeing to develop a commercial crew capsule. While Space X began shuttling astronauts in 2020, Boeing has faced challenges with its spacecraft.
In its first uncrewed mission in 2019, a fault caused the capsule to run out of fuel and abort its docking with the ISS.
A second flight in 2022 was considered successful by NASA, despite thruster issues, paving the way for a human test flight.
However, planned launches in the past were canceled due to various technical issues.
Boeing’s losses on the Starliner program are estimated to be around $1.5 billion (£1.2 billion).
In January, the company’s aircraft division faced criticism from the Federal Aviation Administration after an emergency exit door blew off one of its planes shortly after take-off.
