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WASHINGTON.- Boeing successfully launched the Starliner mission this Wednesday, its first manned test flighta milestone that takes one of each in development and which has already had two frustrated attempts.
The new maiden voyage of The spacecraft with humans on board took off at 11:52 a.m. (Argentine time) from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. in Florida, mounted on an Atlas V rocket. The historic event was streamed live on NASA’s website.
At 12:08 the Starliner ship had officially separated from the Atlas V rocket and began operating on its own engines.
The Atlas V rocket It ejected its first stage at 11:57 and was flying under the power of two Centaur upper stage engines as it continued toward orbit.
Two minutes later, he removed the protective skirt and docking port cover from the spacecraft, allowing the rocket continues to perform as planned on its journey into space.
Before taking off, the commander of the Crew Flight Test, the astronaut Butch Wilmore said from inside the capsule: “We all know that when the going gets tough, as they often do, the tough get going, and you all have. Let’s get going, let’s put some fire in this rocket.”
“Take us to space and come back,” added the astronaut Suni Williams.
The mission, called Crew Flight Testis the culmination of Boeing’s efforts to develop a spacecraft that rival SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule and expand America’s options for transporting astronauts to the space station under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The federal agency’s initiative aims to foster collaboration with private industry partners.
If successful, Starliner will become the sixth type of American-built spacecraft to carry NASA astronautsafter the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs in the 1960s and 1970s, the Space Shuttle from 1981 to 2011, and SpaceX’s Crew Dragon starting in 2020.
Weather conditions They are 90% favorable for a launchwith the only concern for cumulus cloudsaccording to the 45th Weather Squadron of the US Space Force. In any case, if the takeoff does not occur today, there is another opportunity at 11:29 tomorrow, according to NASA.
The astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will spend just over 24 hours traveling to the International Space Station (ISS) and will be responsible for putting the Starliner through its paces, including Take manual control of the spaceship on its way to the ISS.
Williams could also make history as the first woman to fly on such a mission.
During their eight days on the platform, the crew will carry out more tests, such as simulating whether the ship can be used as a safe haven in case of problems at the orbital outpost. After undocking, Starliner will re-enter the atmosphere and make an assisted landing with a parachute and airbag in the western United States.
Technical problems have caused Canceling previous launch attempts: one on May 6 and another on June 1. In this way, Boeing hopes that third time is the charm today if your spacecraft reaches the ISS.
The last launch attempt, last Saturday, was dramatically abandoned with less than four minutes left in the countdown, when the ground launch computer automatically stopped. It was later determined that the problem was due to a faulty power supply connected to the computer.
A defective valve on the rocket of the United Launch Alliance (ULA) group, the joint venture formed by Boeing and Lockheed Martin, thwarted a previous attempt on May 6, hours before takeoff. In both cases, NASA astronauts Wilmore and Williams were prepared for launch but They were forced to return to their strict quarantines in their cabins.
Boeing’s troubled space program has faced years of delays and adversity. A successful mission would give it a needed respite from the security concerns surrounding its airliners. For its part, NASA seeks to certify Boeing as a second commercial operator to transport its crews to the ISS.. SpaceX, from Elon Muskhas been serving in this role for the past four years.
Both companies received multimillion-dollar contracts in 2014 to develop their manned and autonomously piloted capsules, after the Space Shuttle program came to an end in 2011 and The United States was temporarily dependent on Russian rockets to carry out its trips. Boeing, with its 100-year history, was initially favored over its then-upstart competitor, but its program fell behind.
The setbacks have been varied, from a software glitch that put the spacecraft on a bad trajectory in its first unmanned test, to the discovery that the cabin was full of flammable electrical insulation tape after the second.
As teams worked to replace the rocket’s faulty valve that postponed the previous launch attempta small helium leak came to light in one of the spacecraft’s thrusters. Instead of changing its sealing, which would require disassembling the Starliner at the factory, NASA and Boeing officials deemed it safe enough to fly as is.
If Starliner’s mission is successful, will mark an important step forward for Boeing and its space program, as it will provide an additional option for transporting NASA astronauts and decrease the United States’ dependence on SpaceX for these crucial missions.
AP and AFP Agencies
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