The CST-100 Starliner spacecraft has been prepared for its second unmanned flight to the International Space Station, Interfax reports.
The flight is slated for May 19, Mark Nappi, Boeing Corporation’s director of spacecraft development programs, said Tuesday.
The launch is planned to be carried out from the spaceport at Cape Canaveral in Florida as part of NASA’s commercial program. The ship will be lifted by a heavy Atlas-5 launch vehicle. A day after launch, it should dock with the ISS and deliver 225 kg of materials to supply it. Will return to Earth in 5-10 days.
The launch of the second test mission was supposed to take place back in August 2021, but it was canceled 3 hours before the launch – there were problems in the operation of 13 valves of the low-thrust engines of the ship’s service module.
When the unmanned flight of the ship was tested for the first time, in December 2019, Starliner deviated from the route, burned a lot of fuel and returned to Earth without docking to the station. However, he managed to make a successful landing at a test site in New Mexico.
By the way, the American descent system then landed on land for the first time. Previously, all US vehicles splashed down in the ocean.
During this time, adjustments were made to the ship’s systems. If the upcoming flight is successful, NASA will give permission for the Starliner to fly with astronauts on board. It is built for a team of up to seven people.