Boeing is gearing up for another attempt to launch its first crewed mission to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a Starliner spacecraft on Saturday, June 1st, following the cancellation of the last attempt just hours before liftoff.
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance rocket at 12:25 pm (1625 GMT) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Saturday. Weather conditions are currently highly favorable for the launch.
“We are excited for the launch, and we have every confidence in this mission,” said astronaut Mike Fincke, the backup crew member for the mission, during a press conference.
NASA is aiming to certify Boeing as a second commercial operator to transport crew to the ISS, a task SpaceX has been successfully performing since 2020. Both companies were awarded multi-billion-dollar contracts in 2014 to develop their crew capsules after the retirement of the Space Shuttle program in 2011, which left the US reliant on Russian rockets for transport.
Boeing, with its 100-year history, was initially favored over its then-upstart competitor, but its program has encountered years of delays and safety concerns, reminiscent of the issues faced by its commercial airline division.
Wilmore and Williams were prepared for liftoff on May 6 when a faulty rocket valve forced a postponement. Subsequently, a small helium leak was found in one of the spacecraft’s thrusters. Instead of replacing the seal, which would require disassembling Starliner in its factory, NASA and Boeing officials determined it is safe to proceed with the current configuration.
A successful flight would help Boeing repair some of the reputational damage from previous setbacks, including a software bug during the first uncrewed test and the discovery of flammable electrical tape in the cabin during the second.
This mission is particularly crucial due to a recent malfunction of the Urine Processor Assembly on the ISS, which recycles water from astronauts’ urine. According to Dana Weigel, NASA’s ISS program manager, this mission will carry spare equipment weighing around 150 pounds (70 kilograms) to replace the faulty pump.
In preparation for this, the astronauts’ suitcases containing clothes and toiletries were removed, and they will rely on backup supplies stored on the station.
If the mission proceeds as planned, the Starliner is expected to dock with the ISS on Sunday and remain there for eight days while the crew conducts tests, including simulating the use of the spacecraft as a safe haven in case of an emergency on the ISS.
The spacecraft will undock on June 10, reenter the atmosphere, and land in the western United States with the assistance of parachutes and airbags.
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