The first two astronauts transported aboard the Starliner, the spacecraft of the American aeronautical giant Boeing, entered the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday, despite a delay due to problems with the propulsion system.
“What a great place to be, it’s great to be back here,” said smiling Butch Wilmore, an astronaut with the US space agency NASA.
Wilmore, 61, along with Suni Williams, 58, thus made their third visit to the ISS on the Starliner’s first manned mission, a great challenge for the aerospace giant, as well as for NASA.
Ten years ago, the US space agency ordered two new vehicles from Boeing and SpaceX to transport its astronauts to the ISS. While SpaceX has been acting as a space taxi for four years now, Boeing’s program is years behind schedule.
After taking off from Florida the day before, the spacecraft gently approached the ISS on Thursday, flying 400 km above the Earth and traveling at about 28,000 km/h.
The docking occurred at 5:34 p.m. GMT, approximately one hour and 20 minutes after the initially scheduled time, according to NASA.
The ship could not dock when it only had less than 250 meters left to reach the ISS, since it did not receive authorization to approach due to problems with its thrusters.
Five of these small boosters, out of a total of 28, failed at some point, a commentator explained during NASA’s live broadcast. Eventually, they managed to get four operational, providing the number needed for the operation.
These thrusters are used to make small adjustments to the ship’s trajectory.
Initially, the docking was scheduled for 4:15 p.m. GMT.
– Manual piloting –
Astronauts Wilmore and Williams joined seven people already aboard the ISS and will spend about a week in the orbital laboratory, before returning to Earth inside the Starliner.
Wilmore and Williams have been preparing for this mission for years. Hours before takeoff, they temporarily piloted the ship to test its operation.
“The precision is truly incredible,” Wilmore declared Wednesday, in a recording broadcast by Boeing. “Even more than a simulator.”
The takeoff took place on Wednesday from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, in the state of Florida (southeast), after two previous attempts were frustrated in less than a month shortly after launch.
Starliner becomes the sixth type of American-built spacecraft to carry NASA astronauts.
This mission has been expected for years and represents a great challenge for Boeing and NASA, which seeks to certify the company as a second commercial operator to transport its crews to the ISS.
However, the aeronautical giant’s program has faced years of delays and adversity.
SpaceX, its rival owned by magnate Elon Musk, has been playing this role in traveling to the ISS for four years.
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