Boeing to Launch First NASA Astronauts Since 2011, Ending Years of Delays and Challenges
NASA hired Boeing and SpaceX a decade ago to ferry astronauts to and from the space station after the shuttle program ended, paying the private companies billions of dollars. Starliners debut test flight without a crew in 2019 ended up in the wrong orbit and failed to reach the space station, forcing Boeing to repeat the demo before astronauts could fly.
Boeing counted down for its first astronaut launch on Monday after years of struggle. NASA test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were set to climb into Boeing's Starliner capsule for a nighttime liftoff from Cape Canaveral to the International Space Station for a weeklong stay. NASA hired Boeing and SpaceX a decade ago to ferry astronauts to and from the space station after the shuttle program ended, paying the private companies billions of dollars. SpaceX has been in the orbital taxi business since 2020. "We always look for a backup," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said before the flight. Starliner's debut test flight without a crew in 2019 ended up in the wrong orbit and failed to reach the space station, forcing Boeing to repeat the demo before astronauts could fly. Following more reviews last year, the company had to fix the capsule's parachutes and yank out a mile of flammable tape.
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
- READ MORE ON:
- Cape Canaveral
- Suni Williams
- Boeing
- Starliner
- NASA
- Bill Nelson
- Butch Wilmore
ALSO READ
Boeing's Starliner Capsule Poised to Launch Astronauts, Advancing Space Exploration
Boeing Poised to Launch Astronauts with Latest Spacefaring Capsule
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
Boeing's Starliner capsule set for first crewed space flight in rivalry with SpaceX
Boeing's Starliner capsule set for first crewed space flight, to compete with SpaceX