Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams is set to embark on her third space mission as she pilots NASA’s Boeing Starliner tonight. This launch, a joint mission between NASA and Boeing, has faced several delays but is finally ready for liftoff.
Williams and her fellow NASA astronaut Barry "Butch" Wilmore will be the first humans to fly aboard the Starliner spacecraft as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
The launch is scheduled to take place from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center at approximately 10 PM Indian Standard Time. The Starliner spacecraft will be propelled into space by an Atlas 5 rocket, provided by United Launch Alliance (ULA).
Once in orbit, it will dock with the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday, where the astronauts will conduct a series of tests over the course of a week. The mission will conclude with the Starliner undocking from the ISS and making a parachute and airbag-assisted landing in the southwestern United States on June 10.
This mission is crucial for NASA, as a successful flight will pave the way for the final certification of the Starliner and its systems for regular crewed missions to the ISS. The spacecraft is designed to carry up to four astronauts or a combination of crew and cargo for NASA missions to low Earth orbit.
NASA, Boeing, and ULA are confident about the upcoming launch, with Steve Stich, the manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, expressing pride in the teams’ efforts to prepare for the mission. The integrated Atlas 5 rocket and Starliner spacecraft have already been positioned at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Both Williams and Wilmore have been in preflight quarantine since returning to the Florida spaceport on May 28. This mission follows a series of delays, including a valve issue in the Atlas 5 rocket’s upper stage and a helium leak in the spacecraft’s service module. These problems were resolved, allowing the mission to proceed as planned.
The Boeing Starliner’s Crewed Test Flight (CFT) is part of NASA’s broader Commercial Crew Program, which aims to launch astronauts from American soil using American rockets and spacecraft.
NASA selected Boeing and SpaceX in September 2014 to transport crew to the ISS. The goal is to maintain a space station crew of seven to maximise scientific research on the orbiting laboratory.
Boeing’s journey with the Starliner has seen its ups and downs. After an unsuccessful attempt in December 2019, the company successfully conducted an uncrewed Orbital Flight Test 2 (OFT-2) in 2022. The Starliner is designed to be reusable for up to ten missions within a six-month turnaround time.
In comparison, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon has already completed 12 crewed missions since its first launch in May 2020. Both Williams and Wilmore have extensive experience in space.
Williams, who has spent 322 days in space across two missions, holds a record for women with four spacewalks. Wilmore, a 61-year-old veteran, has logged 178 days in space and participated in four spacewalks.
Boeing plans to conduct six manned missions with the Starliner over the next six years, aligning with the projected end of the ISS’s operational lifespan.
NASA intends to use both SpaceX’s Dragon and Boeing’s Starliner to send astronauts to the ISS every six months from US soil, reinforcing the importance of the Commercial Crew Program.
Boeing received over $4 billion in federal funds to develop the Starliner, while SpaceX was awarded about $2.6 billion. The collaboration between NASA, Boeing, and SpaceX marks a significant step forward in ensuring the continued presence of humans in space and the advancement of scientific research conducted aboard the ISS.
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