Boeing’s Starliner capsule is scheduled to launch on the unmanned Orbital Flight Test 2 (OFT-2) mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
After a flight readiness review on May 11, NASA and Boeing are aiming for an immediate launch on May 19 at 6:54 p.m. EDT (2254 GMT) for launch. starliner On top of an Atlas V rocket from the United Launch Alliance. This will be Starliner’s second attempt to rendezvous and dock at the International Space Station and a decisive step in NASA’s certification of Boeing’s passenger spacecraft.
Starliner’s first OFT mission, in December 2019, fell short of expectations, and failed to reach the orbit required to reach International Space Station due to software problems. The Boeing Starliner was mission-ready in early August 2021, but initial checks hours before takeoff revealed problems with more than half of the oxidation valves in the Starliner’s propulsion system and the launch was called off. The capsule was dismantled from the Atlas V and returned to Boeing for repair.
Pictures: Boeing OFT-2 Starliner mission in pictures
now with The valve problems are finally solvedThe Starliner has been declared ready to race again.
NASA is counting on the success of OFT-2 to start sending astronauts to the space station in greater numbers. For nearly a decade, NASA relied on the Russian language Soyuz spacecraft The transportation of taxi crews to and from the orbiting laboratory was recently facilitated by SpaceX Crew Dragon, which last month launched its fourth manned operational mission to the International Space Station.
In 2014, NASA, known for its frequent warnings, signed contracts with both SpaceX and Boeing to design and develop vehicles to launch astronauts to the space station. The final Starliner certification will meet NASA’s goals for its commercial recruitment program and enable the space agency to reduce its reliance on a single human spaceflight provider.
NASA says the Starliner will spend 5 to 10 days docking at the International Space Station on OFT-2 before returning to Earth to land in the western United States. If successful, NASA and Boeing hope to launch the capsule with its first crew by the end of 2022.
OFT-2 is expected to dock at the forward-facing port of the International Space Station’s Harmony module approximately a day after launch and will provide more than 400 pounds (180 kg) of food and other supplies for the current station’s crews. In the event of a technical or weather issue during the countdown to Thursday, NASA indicated that a backup launch window is available May 20 at 6:32 p.m. EDT (2232 GMT).
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