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Updated:05/23/2022 1:16 p.m.
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It has taken more than two years, but Boeing removed on Saturday a thorn in its pride and that is key to the company’s future. The CST-100 ship Starliner of the aerospace giant successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on its second uncrewed test flight (Orbital Flight Test-2). The first, carried out in December 2019, was a fiasco by not being able to precisely ‘assemble’ with the orbital platform due to a failure in its systems. The cargo mission is scheduled to return to Earth this week. If all goes well, Starliner is set to become the second service of NASA taxi to transport astronauts, a function that the Dragon capsules of the powerful SpaceX by Elon Musk.
Starliner was launched on Friday on an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida (USA). The ship followed the correct trajectory, although it presented some problems in two of the 12 thrusters used for the maneuver. However, a third managed to activate in time and complete the necessary combustion. Except for the inconveniences, the coupling to the Harmony module of the space station took place at 2:28 p.m. on Saturday, with more than an hour of delay due to the final checks during the maneuvers. First, the capsule stabilized about 230 meters from the station. Then, after a slight advance, he backed away to show that he could do so if necessary.
This time-lapse video shows the @BoeingSpace#Starliner crew ship approach the station and dock to the Harmony module at 8:28pm ET on Friday. More… https://t.co/RgllPL4Uiupic.twitter.com/AYufaYJvAe
— International Space Station (@Space_Station) May 22, 2022
Finally, after a new controlled stop, although longer than expected, 10 meters from the ISS, the delicate final maneuver began until contact was made. A few hours later, astronauts aboard the ISS opened the hatch of the capsule, which carries some 500 pounds of supplies, and greeted its sole passenger, a mannequin named ‘Rosie the Rocketeer’ – a play on words in memory of Rosie. the Riveter, a star of the American draft campaign in World War II. The android’s job is to collect flight data with sensors to learn what a human crew member might experience.
It’s wonderful to see astronauts inside the #Starliner spacecraft @Space_Station for the first time! Great job to the @NASA & @BoeingSpace teams that worked so diligently to make this a reality. It’s a thrilling moment for a new spacecraft that is getting ready to fly crew. pic.twitter.com/FACWHsSHwi
— Kathy Lueders (@KathyLueders) May 22, 2022
On the run with SpaceX
Starliner will remain attached to the ISS until at least Wednesday, when it will return to Earth to land with the help of a parachute, probably in the New Mexico desert, at the White Sands base. She will return with almost 300 kilos of cargo, including the reusable tanks of the oxygen and nitrogen recharge system that provides breathable air to the station’s crew members. The tanks will be refitted on Earth and shipped back to the station on a future flight.
Everything must be perfect if Boeing wants to recover its battered reputation and enter fully into the private space race. In 2019, its first test mission failed to dock with the ISS. Software bugs led the spacecraft to burn too much fuel to reach its destination. The company prepared for a second attempt in August last year, but the capsule had to be returned to the factory to fix a problem with the valves in its propulsion system.
All these technical delays have left Boeing far behind SpaceX, which has already flown four crews to the space station for NASA. However, the space agency is interested in having more taxis to space. If NASA certifies Boeing’s capability, Starliner’s onboard missions will carry up to four crew members to the station, “allowing for continued crew expansion and increasing the amount of science and research that can be conducted on board.” of the laboratory in orbit”, they explain from the agency.
In 2014, the aerospace agency signed a $4.2 billion contract with Boeing and $2.6 billion with SpaceX after closing its space shuttle program and weaning it off Russian Soyuz rockets. Boeing, a solid multinational with its centuries-old history, was considered a safe bet against the new and inexperienced SpaceX, but this time David also beat Goliath. Musk’s company has already sent its fourth routine crew to the ISS and hopes to launch the next in September, while Boeing’s development delays have cost the company hundreds of millions of dollars.
Now, the company has reported, Starliner has entered a planned sleep phase while still docked with the space station, meaning its systems have been shut down as they would during a long-duration mission. The ship rests, but Boeing cannot rest on its laurels.
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