This Monday, May 6, 2024, at 10:34 p.m. local time (the following Tuesday at 4:34 a.m. French time) two NASA astronauts will leave Earth to join the International Space Station. Nothing really new.
Well, not really, since a big aspect of this rather innocuous trip changes. Indeed, it is not aboard a Russian or SpaceX capsule that Suni Williams and Barry Wilmore, two of NASA’s most experienced astronauts, will leave, but aboard the long-awaited Boeing Starliner .
Starliner’s manned takeoff delayed for seven years
For almost 10 years, NASA has given two private American companies the opportunity to have the privilege of working with the American space agency to organize the transport of astronauts to the ISS.
These two companies are SpaceX and Boeing. And if for many years, only SpaceX has been at the forefront, it is because Elon Musk’s company has taken a considerable lead over its partner/competitor.
Indeed, since Boeing was one of the companies to have won the NASA contract, it has, for the moment, not carried out any manned flight.
Initially planned for 2017, it has only been postponed again and again until today. A seven-year delay on schedule explained by “hiccups in the development of the spacecraft” tells us the BBC.
This Monday, May 6, 2024, will therefore mark the first manned test flight of the CST-100 Starliner capsule. A crucial flight which will welcome on board, to validate the viability and reliability of the device, two NASA astronauts.
If successful, Boeing will then become a real competitor for SpaceX in transporting people to the ISS.
Here is the live follow-up of the CST-100 Starliner launch from Cape Canaveral (Florida, USA):
First tests not very reassuring
Today, at 10:34 p.m. local time, from Cape Canaveral, Boeing will carry out its first manned test flight of its Starliner capsule.
In 2015, the first test flight, this time unmanned, was to take place. The latter was also delayed for several years.
From 2015, the flight was postponed to 2019 and when it took place, he was unable to complete the mission. Indeed, a localized problem with the internal clock had caused overheating of the thrusters and excessive fuel consumption.
All this therefore led to a failure of the mission, since the capsule ran out of fuel before reaching the ISS.
A second test launch was then planned for August 2021, but the latter was also postponed to 2022. If the unmanned mission went well and Starliner was able to carry it out without a hitch, reservations continued to be issued regarding the performance and safety of the capsule.
However, the BBC points out something important. If the CST-100 Starliner capsule is preparing to take off with two of NASA’s most seasoned astronauts on board, it is because the space agency is safe and certain, from now on, of the capsule’s capabilities.
And if a problem is detected during launch, then it will be canceled.
Starliner launch is a crucial moment for Boeing
The fact that the various test flights have been postponed several times, that technical problems have repeatedly occurred during development or in flight, adds even more pressure to Boeing than usual.
Indeed, for several years and with the month of March 2024 as the culmination, the aeronautics and space firm has been singled out by its pilots and its staff in general for failings in the safety of their planes in particular.
Obviously, this test flight is then a sword of Damocles over the head of the aeronautics giant.
If it goes well, the firm will then be able to develop and make transporting people into space for NASA, a real part of its economy.
Especially since, unlike SpaceX, for the moment at least, Boeing will use this test flight to also develop space tourism.
Source: BBC
