Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft will as soon as in opposition to make an try to achieve the International Space Station in a important check flight that may decide whether or not it is lastly prepared for manned missions. NASA and the personal house firm have scheduled the launch for at this time, May nineteenth, with an instantaneous launch window at 6:54PM Eastern Time. The Starliner will launch on high of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, and you’ll watch the protection for the occasion within the video beneath or by way of the NASA Live web site beginning at 6PM ET.
During its first check flight again in December 2019, Starliner made it into orbit however failed to achieve the ISS. An automation system incorrectly assessed the timing of the flight and prevented the spacecraft’s thrusters from firing when wanted. NASA and the corporate investigated what had occurred, and experiences got here out a couple of months later that Boeing did not conduct launch-to-docking simulations on the spacecraft earlier than its failed launch.
Boeing made its first Orbital Flight Test-2 launch try in August 2021, nevertheless it needed to scrap its plans whereas the capsule was already on high of a rocket as a result of a problem with its propulsion system valves. Engineers managed to restore 9 valves whereas the spacecraft was nonetheless prepared for takeoff, however Boeing finally determined to conduct a “deeper-level troubleshooting” at its facility on the Kennedy Space Center. NASA needed to give SpaceX extra crewed flights with a purpose to cowl for Boeing’s delays.
Now that its valve points have been resolved — apparently, the interplay between oxidizer and water shaped nitric acid and different corrosive brokers that made the valves sticky — Starliner’s launch is a go. The capsule should obtain its objective this time if Boeing desires to meet up with SpaceX, which has been ferrying astronauts to the ISS since 2020. If no additional points come up, Starliner will attain the ISS with over 800 kilos of cargo in 24 hours. It will stay docked with the orbiting lab for 5 to 10 days earlier than making its return journey again to Earth and touchdown within the western United States.
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