TechWe have another crew in space. The first Starliner mission launches, aiming for ISS arrival

We have another crew in space. The first Starliner mission launches, aiming for ISS arrival

On Wednesday, at 3:52 PM, the first crewed Starliner spacecraft was launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida. Two American astronauts were on board the spacecraft. According to plans, the spacecraft is set to reach the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday.

Starliner began the mission
Starliner began the mission
Images source: © Getty Images | 2024 Getty Images
Karolina Modzelewska

5 June 2024 17:09

NASA astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore, who is the mission commander, and Suni Williams, have the task of reaching the space station within 25 hours of the launch time. They plan to stay there for about a week. The main goal of their mission is to test the Starliner spacecraft and its subsystems. These tests are essential before NASA begins work on the transportation system for rotational missions.

Starliner began its first mission

NASA reported that about 350 kilograms of cargo is on board the Starliner spacecraft. Food, clothing, exercise equipment, medical supplies, and photographic equipment are among the items being transported. A USB drive containing approximately 3,500 photos is also on board. These photos showcase children's work from 35 U.S. states and 66 countries.

The Starliner launch was the third attempt to launch this spacecraft. The first attempt, which took place on 6 May, was cancelled due to problems with the rocket valve and a helium leak in the capsule's propulsion system. The next attempt, made on 1 June, also failed. This time, the ground launch sequencer failed.

The first Starliner launch, which took place in 2019, was also unsuccessful. Despite the absence of a crew on board, the capsule entered the wrong orbit and did not reach the ISS. As a result, the flight had to be repeated. Later, a series of additional technical issues were detected.

NASA commissioned two private companies, Boeing and Elon Musk's SpaceX, to develop and produce a vehicle for transporting astronauts to the ISS and back to Earth. SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft have been successfully performing orbital flights since 2020.

Related content
© Daily Wrap
·

Downloading, reproduction, storage, or any other use of content available on this website—regardless of its nature and form of expression (in particular, but not limited to verbal, verbal-musical, musical, audiovisual, audio, textual, graphic, and the data and information contained therein, databases and the data contained therein) and its form (e.g., literary, journalistic, scientific, cartographic, computer programs, visual arts, photographic)—requires prior and explicit consent from Wirtualna Polska Media Spółka Akcyjna, headquartered in Warsaw, the owner of this website, regardless of the method of exploration and the technique used (manual or automated, including the use of machine learning or artificial intelligence programs). The above restriction does not apply solely to facilitate their search by internet search engines and uses within contractual relations or permitted use as specified by applicable law.Detailed information regarding this notice can be found  here.