{"id":106284,"date":"2024-05-07T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-07T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/?post_type=ftm_article&p=106284"},"modified":"2024-05-08T12:31:01","modified_gmt":"2024-05-08T16:31:01","slug":"starliner-launch-106284","status":"publish","type":"ftm_article","link":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/space\/starliner-launch-106284","title":{"rendered":"Boeing\u2019s Starliner spacecraft was set to launch on May 6 \u2014 but was delayed again"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Already years late, Boeing\u2019s Starliner spacecraft continues to face delays as it prepares to launch<\/a> NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams into space. The latest delay came as a problem with its ride to orbit<\/a>, an Atlas V rocket, caused the first launch attempt late on May 6, 2024, to be scrubbed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it does launch from the Kennedy Space Center, no earlier than May 10, this last crucial test for Starliner<\/a> will try out the new spacecraft and take the pair to the International Space Station for about a week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part of NASA\u2019s commercial crew program<\/a>, this long-delayed mission will represent the vehicle\u2019s first crewed launch. If successful, it will give NASA \u2013 and in the future, space tourists \u2013 more options for getting to low Earth orbit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From my perspective as a space policy expert<\/a>, Starliner\u2019s launch represents another significant milestone in the development of the commercial space industry. But the mission\u2019s troubled history also shows just how difficult the path to space can be, even for an experienced company like Boeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Origins and development<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Following the retirement of NASA\u2019s space shuttle in 2011, NASA invited<\/a> commercial space companies to help the agency transport cargo and crew to the International Space Station.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2014, NASA selected Boeing and SpaceX<\/a> to build their respective crew vehicles: Starliner and Dragon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boeing\u2019s vehicle, Starliner<\/a>, was built to carry up to seven crew members to and from low Earth orbit. For NASA missions to the International Space Station, it will carry up to four at a time, and it\u2019s designed to remain docked to the station for up to seven months. At 15 feet, the capsule where the crew will sit is slightly bigger than an Apollo command module or a SpaceX Dragon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boeing designed Starliner to be partially reusable to reduce the cost of getting to space. Though the Atlas V<\/a> rocket it will take to space and the service module that supports the craft are both expendable, Starliner\u2019s crew capsule can be reused up to 10 times<\/a>, with a six-month turnaround. Boeing has built two flightworthy Starliners<\/a> to date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starliner\u2019s development has come with setbacks. Though Boeing received US$4.2 billion from NASA, compared with $2.6 billion for SpaceX, Boeing spent more<\/a> than $1.5 billion extra in developing the spacecraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Starliner\u2019s first uncrewed test flight in 2019, a series of software and hardware failures<\/a> prevented it from getting to its planned orbit as well as docking with the International Space Station. After testing out some of its systems, it landed successfully<\/a> at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2022, after identifying and making more than 80 fixes, Starliner conducted a second uncrewed test flight<\/a>. This time, the vehicle did successfully dock with the International Space Station and landed six days later in New Mexico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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