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The first crewed launch to the International Space Station (ISS) of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, piloted by Indian-origin Sunita Williams, is now being targeted for June 1, NASA announced on Thursday.
The US space agency said in a statement that mission managers are continuing to evaluate a path toward launching the Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT) to the International Space Station (ISS).
“Teams are now working toward a launch opportunity on Saturday, June 1 at 12:25 p.m. ET, with additional opportunities on June 2, June 5 and June 6.”
Originally planned for May 7, Starliner’s first human mission to space was delayed by a helium leak.
Starliner is designed to carry Sunita ‘Sunny’ Williams and fellow astronaut Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore to the ISS as part of final testing before NASA certifies them for regular missions.
Boeing’s Starliner will be launched into space on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The astronauts will remain aboard the orbiting lab for about two weeks to evaluate the new spacecraft and its systems before returning to Earth in the western United States.
“It has taken extraordinary analysis and testing over the past two weeks by joint NASA, Boeing and ULA teams to replace the Centaur self-regulating valve and troubleshoot the Starliner service module helium manifold leak,” said manager Steve Stich. of the NASA Commercial Crew Program.
“It’s critical that we take the time to understand all the complexities of each issue, including the redundant capabilities of the Starliner propulsion system and any impact on our interim human rating certification,” he added.
Stich said in his statement that NASA will send Butch and Suni on this test mission after the entire community reviews the teams’ progress and the justification for the flight in the upcoming Delta Agency Flight Test Readiness Review.
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Published: 23 May 2024, 07:00 PM IST
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