Breakdown company
“Starliner” finally ready to take off: Boeing’s super capsule is supposed to take people into space
CST-100 “Starliner” spacecraft mounted on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket
© Joel Kowsky / NASA / AP / DPA
Actually, Boeing’s “Starliner” was supposed to transport astronauts to and from the ISS long ago, but the crisis-plagued project is far behind schedule. But now it should start.
A success of the mission is of great importance for the US company, which is fighting for its reputation due to technical breakdowns and allegations of poor safety on passenger aircraft. Boeing is betting that the “Starliner” will become the second regular means of transport for flights to the ISS and back for the US space agency NASA, alongside SpaceX’s Dragon capsule.
“Starliner” launch repeatedly postponed
In recent years, however, Boeing has had to solve numerous technical problems with the “Starliner”. In 2019, the capsule’s first unmanned space flight failed. Due to software problems, a near disaster occurred and the spacecraft had to return to Earth early without reaching the ISS. The first unmanned flight to the space station took place in May 2022.
The first “Starliner” flight with people on board was then postponed several times. Among other things, defects in the capsule’s parachutes and its wiring harnesses had to be corrected in order to eliminate the risk of their flammability.
The current mission with the two astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams has the status of a test flight that tests the functionality of the system in all its components. The capsule will be carried into space by a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket. ULA is a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin. If the test is successful, Boeing could officially begin transporting astronauts for NASA.
NASA becomes independent of Russia
After discontinuing its space shuttle program in 2011, the US space agency had for years relied on the travel seats in the Russian Soyuz capsules to transport its astronauts to the ISS and back. This only changed in 2020, when SpaceX brought astronauts to the ISS in a Dragon capsule for the first time.
The then relatively young company of high-tech pioneer Elon Musk was far behind its competitor Boeing in the competition for the resumption of manned space flights in the USA. Now Boeing finally hopes to catch up with SpaceX with its “Starliner”.
In any case, the astronauts are very confident that the test flight will be successful. Williams said she has “full confidence” in the spacecraft and the mission control team. The “Starliner” has many capabilities “that other spaceships don’t have,” added Wilmore.