The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced on March 29 that it is coordinating with Boeing Aircraft Corporation to implement the project. first test flight with the crewed Starliner spacecraft next July.
According to NASA Commercial Crew Program Manager, Steve Stich, NASA will test launch the spacecraft Starliner with crew as early as July 21.
It is expected that during the test flight, the Starliner spacecraft will be launched by United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket (a joint venture between the “big two” in the aerospace industry, Lockhees Martin and Boeing) from the Space Station. Cape Canaveral is located in the state of Florida, in the southeastern part of the United States.
According to NASA, the spacecraft will carry two NASA astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, to the International Space Station (ISS) to test the full capabilities of the Starliner system.
The two pilots are expected to spend eight days on the ISS.
If the flight test with the crew is successful, NASA will begin the final process of certifying the Starliner spacecraft and systems for transporting astronauts to the ISS.
To date, the Starliner spacecraft has made 2 flights without crew.
Before that, Boeing had hoped to make the flight with crew Starliner’s first in 2022 but has had to be delayed a few times.
(VNA/Vietnam+)