Summary

A pair of NASA test pilots launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Boeing’s Starliner capsule, bound for the International Space Station. The trip is expected to take 25 hours, with arrival at the Space Station on Thursday. The Starliner is meant to be fully autonomous, requiring manual control only for system checks. Boeing, alongside SpaceX, was hired by NASA in 2014 for astronaut transport. SpaceX launched astronauts successfully in 2020, while Boeing faced delays and technical issues with the Starliner. Boeing's flight is a crucial milestone for NASA’s reliance on the private sector for human spaceflight. After the flight, data will be reviewed to certify the Starliner, potentially alternating with SpaceX for ISS missions.

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For those who read...

A pair of NASA test pilots took off from Cape Canaveral, Florida on Boeing’s Starliner capsule yesterday morning, beginning a critical final flight test of Boeing’s first spacecraft. The astronauts, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, are bound for the International Space Station and are the first to fly Boeing’s new spacecraft.

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The trip is expected to take 25 hours, with the pilots set to arrive at the Space Station on Thursday. After spending a week performing tests on the capsule, the pair will come back to Earth in the Starline capsule, making their touchdown in a desert in the western U.S. on June 14th. The 15-foot-wide Starliner is meant to be fully autonomous, only requiring Williams and Wilmore to take manual control in order to check the capsule’s systems.

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In 2014, Boeing was hired alongside Elon Musk’s SpaceX by NASA in order to develop technology to transport astronauts to and from the Space Station. In the decade since NASA hired the two companies, SpaceX successfully launched astronauts into orbit in 2020, the first private business to do so. Since then, SpaceX has flown 13 crews into orbit, as Boeing suffered years of delays.

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In 2019, the Starliner’s initial test flight ended early due to bad software and had to be repeated before NASA would allow its astronauts to fly in the space craft. The do-over in 2022 showed improvement in the software, but parachute problems again grounded the Starliner. The Starliner has also faced other technical pitfalls including corroded propellant valves and flammable tape, costing Boeing almost $1.5 billion dollars while the Starliner remained grounded.

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Back on Earth, Boeing has also been facing increased public scrutiny for safety concerns surrounding their commercial aircrafts. This newest wave of criticism was prompted by an incident earlier this year when a side panel of an Alaska Airlines jet produced by Boeing blew out mid air.

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Yesterday’s launch was the third attempt at a test flight of the Starliner since May, following two rocket-related issues. Boeing's flight is an important milestone for NASA’s efforts to rely on the private sector for its human spaceflight program.

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After the spacecraft returns to Earth, NASA and Boeing will review data from the flight in order to complete the certification of Starliner. If Boeing’s test flight is successful, NASA will alternate between SpaceX and Boeing to taxi astronauts to and from the Space Station.

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Boeing launches NASA astronauts for the first time in new Starliner | AP News

Boeing Starliner Carries NASA Astronauts to Orbit in ‘Milestone’ Flight - The New York Times 

Boeing Starliner launches for the first time carrying NASA astronauts to the ISS