Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft programme, the highly anticipated first crewed mission to the International Space Station (ISS) has faced yet another delay. Originally slated for a mid-April launch, the Crew Flight Test (CFT) has now been rescheduled for early May due to space station scheduling, as announced jointly by NASA and Boeing on Friday (Mar 8).
The Crew Flight Test will see Starliner, along with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, embark on a roughly 10-day mission to the ISS. The spacecraft is set to lift off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
This delay marked another hiccup in Starliner’s journey, which has been ongoing under a multibillion-dollar contract with NASA since September 2014.
Technical issues, including problems with the suspension lines on Starliner’s parachutes and concerns over flammable tape wrapped around the capsule’s wiring, have so far contributed to the postponements.
Two astronauts on board its Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission to the International Space Station will reside and conduct operations beyond Earth’s atmosphere for approximately a week.
The ULA Atlas V rocket has been relocated to the company’s Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida in preparations for stacking operations in advance of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test.
“The mission will test the end-to-end capabilities of the Starliner system, including launch, docking, and a return to Earth,” as per NASA.
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The spacecraft has already undergone two uncrewed test flights, with the second one successfully reaching the ISS in May 2022 after a series of issues during the first attempt in December 2019.
Regarding the CFT launch, NASA and Boeing earlier targeted late April for launch. Starliner’s two uncrewed flight tests, including Orbital Flight Test-2, which docked to the space station in May gave crucial data.
“To protect against unforeseen events with crew transportation to the station, NASA may extend the CFT docked duration up to six months and add an additional astronaut later, if needed,” the space agency said in a statement.
(With inputs from agencies)
Shambhu Kumar is a science communicator, making complex scientific topics accessible to all. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
