Boeing's Starliner Capsule Ready for First Crewed Flight to International Space Station
After years of delays and setbacks, Boeing is finally poised to launch astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) for NASA. This marks the first crewed flight of Boeing's Starliner capsule, carrying two NASA pilots on a test drive and weeklong stay at the space station.
The Starliner capsule, named after Boeing's early Stratoliner and current Dreamliner, is about 10 feet tall and 15 feet in diameter. It can accommodate up to seven people, though NASA crews typically consist of four. This particular capsule is the same one that flew the first unmanned test flight in 2019.
Veteran NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will pilot the Starliner. Both are retired Navy captains with extensive experience aboard the space station. They joined the test flight after the original crew withdrew due to the delays.
The launch is scheduled for Monday night from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. This will be the first time astronauts ride an Atlas since NASA's Project Mercury, which began with John Glenn's historic orbit around Earth in 1962.
Starliner is expected to reach the space station in about 26 hours. The seven station residents will be closely monitoring the capsule's approach. After docking, the astronauts will spend eight days conducting checkouts before landing in New Mexico or elsewhere in the American West.
This test flight is crucial for Boeing, as it aims to prove the Starliner's reliability and safety for future crewed missions. NASA has awarded Boeing over $4 billion to develop the capsule, with plans for six Starliner trips to the ISS after this one. The company also hopes to attract private clients for future missions.
The successful completion of this test flight will mark a significant milestone for Boeing and NASA, paving the way for regular astronaut rotations to the ISS using both Boeing's Starliner and SpaceX's Dragon capsules. This collaboration will ensure continued human presence and research aboard the space station, advancing our understanding of the universe and pushing the boundaries of space exploration.