Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is on its way to the International Space
Station (ISS), despite an issue with its thrusters. The uncrewed test
mission, if successful, will mark an important step in expanding the
capability for sending astronauts to orbit from US soil – something only
SpaceX can do at the moment.
The spacecraft is scheduled to arrive at the ISS at 23.10 GMT on Friday,
almost 24 hours after it took off at 22.54 GMT on Thursday 19 May from Cape
Canaveral in Florida on top of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.
While the launch was successful, two onboard thrusters out of 12 failed as
Starliner manoeuvred into orbit. However, the malfunction is unlikely to be
a major issue, as backup thrusters ensured the spacecraft could continue on
its way.
“The system is designed to be redundant, and it performed like it was
supposed to,” said commercial crew manager Mark Nappi at a press conference
on 19 May. “We have a safe vehicle, and we’re on our way to the
International Space Station.”
The spacecraft has had a troubled past. In 2019, it was unable to reach the
ISS after a faulty clock meant the rocket’s boosters failed to properly fire
after lift-off. In 2021, just hours before another scheduled launch,
pre-flight checks revealed corroded valves that required repair, and the
launch was postponed until 19 May.
“Getting any new spacecraft into space is always challenging,” says Libby
Jackson at the UK Space Agency. “[Space companies] do testing to find out
the problems, so I’m very confident that Boeing have looked through all of
those – they’re not going to the launch pad without being confident that
they are in a good place to test.”
If Starliner manages to reach the ISS on Friday, it will join SpaceX as the
second commercial outfit capable of flying US astronauts to space, with
Starliner’s first crewed launch pencilled in for later this year. SpaceX
first flew two astronauts aboard its Crew Dragon capsule in May 2020 and has
since flown eight more astronauts to the ISS on a further two missions.
In 2018, when Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft was the only way to get to the ISS,
a rocket malfunction meant astronauts risked being stranded on the station
while the issue was investigated. Part of the reason for NASA encouraging
the commercial spacecraft sector was to avoid relying on Russia, an issue
that has become more pressing since the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
“To have two different ways of getting into space will mean that, should
there be problems on either one, they have another means to get there,” says
Jackson. “That’s really important for ensuring that we have continued and
safe operations of the International Space Station.”
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