Everything to Know About the Boeing, NASA Starliner Flight
Following a setback in its various scheduled launch attempts, the Boeing Starliner (a.k.a. CST-100) is set to try again on June 1, 2024, at 12:25 p.m. EDT from its launch pad, Space Launch Complex 41, at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The spacecraft‘s initial May 6 launch date was cancelled due to an issue with an oxygen valve on the ULA Atlas rocket, and rearranged for May 17. This, in turn, was cancelled due to a helium leak in the spacecraft’s service module.
Developed under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP), the versatile Boeing Starliner aims to ferry crews to the International Space Station (ISS) and other low-Earth-orbit (LEO) destinations. Comprising a reusable crew capsule and an expendable service module, Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft can accommodate up to seven astronauts for longer stays at the ISS.
The Boeing Starliner
With a spacious interior and features like wireless Internet and tablet technology, the Starliner represents a new era in space travel.
Designed with safety, reliability, functionality, and comfort in mind, this innovative spacecraft has a 15-foot diameter crew capsule that’s somewhere in between the Apollo command module and the Artemis Orion in size.
Powered by an Atlas V rocket, the Starliner integrates the NASA Docking System, and a re-entry cover for extra safety during atmospheric entry. What’s more, it can be reused for up to ten missions, making it cost-effective, too.
Crewed Flight Test Launch to International Space Station
The Boeing Starliner successfully completed its Orbital Flight Test 2 in May 2022 in preparation for a Crewed Flight Test (CFT). The CFT with the CST-100 aims to advance crewed space missions in preparation for operational service for the Starliner-1 mission in 2025.
Despite being scheduled for May 6, 2024, Starliner’s crew flight test had to be postponed just a couple of hours before it was due to take off, as there was a critical issue with an oxygen valve on the ULA Atlas rocket which was said to be making a strange buzzing sound.
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were aboard at the time and had to exit. They are currently in quarantine at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at Florida’s Space Coast, in anticipation of the rescheduled CFT. The rescheduled launch date of May 17 was also postponed as the team found a small helium leak in the Starliner’s service module, and the next launch date of May 21 was also cancelled. It’s now due for take-off on June 1.
Rescheduled CFT from Space Launch Complex 41
NASA and Boeing are both working hard to address these technical issues, and are optimistic about resolving the problem quickly in order to complete the CFT in the next few days. Once ready, the CFT will launch into space on top of United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket.
When it reaches orbit, it will then break away from the Atlas V and use its own engines. Over the course of a day or more, it will slowly travel towards the space station to dock. The mission will last a week, after which it will make the trip back to Earth.
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
The Starliner program is part of NASA’s broader commercial crew program, which partners with private American industry. The program has been designed to conduct important research, create more opportunities and create next-gen launch systems and spacecraft for reliable, safe, and cost-effective transport of humans to the ISS and back.
Commercial companies have started to focus on ways to safely transport humans to low-orbit space, so NASA is concentrating on space vehicles to navigate deep space. By liaising with companies like SpaceX and Boeing, NASA can efficiently allocate more resources towards advancements in space exploration.
United Launch Alliance Atlas V Rocket
The reliable and versatile Atlas V rocket was built by United Launch Alliance (ULA) for a wide variety of missions, including satellite deployment into different orbits, sending payloads to the ISS, and interplanetary missions.
At around 60 meters tall, the rocket can lift payloads of up to 44,000 pounds into LEO, and is flexible in the type of payloads it can carry thanks to its modular design. Starliner’s crewed flight test has to be postponed due to a buzzing sound coming from the rocket.
ULA is currently in the process of replacing a pressure regulation valve in the rocket’s upper Centaur stage, relating to the liquid oxygen tank. Although this is the rocket’s first mission with astronauts, it has successfully completed many missions since it came out in 2002.
Boeing Starliner CFT—Updates
We’re keeping an eye on the all-important Boeing Starliner spacecraft crewed test flight news and will keep this article updated with the rescheduled launch date, as well as reports on the test flight launch itself once it happens.
In the latest update, NASA has announced that the launch has now been scheduled for June 1, 2024, and will launch instantaneously, with liftoff set for 12:25 p.m. EDT.
Boeing Starliner CFT—Summary
The crewed flight test on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft atop the Atlas V rocket has been delayed due to a couple of technical issues.
ULA engineers have been working tirelessly and actively studying the issues in an attempt to solve them as soon as possible so that the mission can go ahead as planned, albeit a few days late. Despite these setbacks, NASA and Boeing remain confident in the mission to drive the Commercial Crew Program forward.
The rescheduled Crewed Flight Test is set to launch on June 1, 2024, and we eagerly await the next chapter in this historic mission.
NASA, Boeing Prep for First Crewed CST-100 Starliner Flight
While we await updates for the Starliner’s upcoming launch, take a look at this video on how NASA and Boeing prepared for the CST-100 Starliner’s first crewed flight.
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