A crew in space. Starliner makes successful launch to the International Space Station after setbacks
On Wednesday, at 10:52 AM Eastern Time, Cape Canaveral in Florida launched the first crewed Starliner spacecraft. Two American astronauts were on board. According to plans, the spacecraft is set to reach the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday.
NASA astronauts Barry 'Butch' Wilmore, who is the mission commander, and Suni Williams have the task of reaching the space station within 25 hours of the launch time. They plan to stay there for about a week. The main goal of their mission is to test the Starliner spacecraft and its subsystems. These tests are essential before NASA begins work on the transportation system for rotational missions.
Starliner began its first mission
NASA reported that about 350 kilograms of cargo is on board the Starliner spacecraft. Food, clothing, exercise equipment, medical supplies, and photographic equipment are among the items being transported. A USB drive containing approximately 3,500 photos is also on board. These photos showcase children's work from 35 U.S. states and 66 countries.
The Starliner launch was the third attempt to launch this spacecraft. The first attempt, which took place on May 6, was cancelled due to problems with the rocket valve and a helium leak in the capsule's propulsion system. The next attempt, made on June 1, also ended in failure. This time, the ground launch sequencer failed.
The first Starliner launch, which took place in 2019, was also unsuccessful. Despite the absence of a crew on board, the capsule entered the wrong orbit and did not reach the ISS. As a result, the flight had to be repeated. Later, a series of additional technical issues were detected.
NASA commissioned two private companies, Boeing and Elon Musk's SpaceX, to develop and produce a vehicle for transporting astronauts to the ISS and from the space station to Earth. SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft have been successfully performing orbital flights since 2020.
