The launch took place Thursday evening from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Starliner is due to dock with the International Space Station approximately 24 hours later.
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At last. After years of delay, the Boeing space capsule, Starliner, ended up taking off on the evening of Thursday May 19 from Cape Canaveral (Florida). It must dock 24 hours later, that is to say Saturday, to the International Space Station (ISS). This test flight, which takes place without passengers on board, should make it possible to prove that the capsule is safe for transporting humans. Stated objective: to become the second company to serve as a “taxi” for NASA astronauts in the future, after SpaceX.
The capsule was placed on the correct course, but two of the twelve thrusters normally used for the maneuver failed, NASA officials said at a press conference. However, this issue should not affect the mission.
See views from the Space Launch Complex-41 launch pad and spacecraft separation during today’s #Starliner #OFT2 liftoff atop a @ulalaunch #AtlasV. Stay tuned for docking with @Space_Station on May 20. pic.twitter.com/Ztjs36IwQf
—Boeing Space (@BoeingSpace) May 20, 2022
This test had already been attempted in 2019. But then it had come close to disaster and the ship had to return to Earth prematurely without having reached the ISS. Then in August 2021, a new test had to be canceled at the very last moment, even before the launch, due to a valve problem detected during the final checks.
Meanwhile, SpaceX, a newcomer to the aerospace industry compared to Boeing, has passed its own tests and started transporting NASA astronauts on regular missions. Billionaire Elon Musk’s company has already transported 18 astronauts with its own capsule, Dragon.
Onwards! Here’s the view from the @ULALaunch Centaur upper stage as the @BoeingSpace #Starliner began flying on its own, bound for the @Space_Station. pic.twitter.com/HNBMTCX3ut
—NASA (@NASA) May 20, 2022