Boeing’s Starliner Set for Maiden Voyage
Boeing’s Starliner is gearing up for its crewed maiden voyage, a milestone ten years in the making. The spacecraft is scheduled to launch atop an Atlas V rocket at 12:25 p.m. ET from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Saturday. You can catch the livestream of the event starting at 8:15 a.m. ET on NASA’s website.
Mission Details
The mission, known as Crew Flight Test, represents Boeing’s endeavor to offer an alternative to SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule for transporting astronauts to the space station under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Veteran NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will be on board for this historic journey. Williams will also make history as the first woman to fly aboard such a mission.
Journey to the Space Station
Once in orbit, the Starliner crew capsule will separate from the rocket and travel towards the International Space Station. Docking is expected at 1:50 p.m. ET on Sunday, with the astronauts spending eight days on the space station to conduct various tests and experiments.
Return Journey
After their mission, Williams and Wilmore will return home using the same Starliner capsule. The earliest possible return date is June 10, with backup opportunities available in case of any unforeseen circumstances.
Technical Challenges and Solutions
Despite facing hurdles such as a helium leak and propulsion system issues, NASA and Boeing have worked diligently to address these challenges. The team has conducted thorough assessments and developed backup plans to ensure the safety and success of the mission.
Space Station Anomaly
Recently, the space station encountered a pump failure in its urine processor assembly. Starliner has stepped in to carry a replacement pump to help resolve this critical issue and maintain the station’s operations.
Read More of this Story at www.cnn.com – 2024-06-01 12:13:00
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