Photo: United Launch Alliance
On July 17th, Boeing's Starliner spacecraft was secured to an Atlas V rocket in preparation for a test flight to the ISS which will take place later this month. The test is part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program and will mark the last flight before the Starliner takes off with American astronauts on board.
This journey follows the first orbital test flight, which occurred in 2019. During that mission, the uncrewed capsule experienced a timing anomaly that prevented docking with the ISS. The mission was abandoned due to a software error that caused the spaceship to believe it was in an orbital insertion burn when it was not.
Now, the spacecraft is fully assembled and ready to head to space on its second orbital test (the last before it will launch with a crew to the ISS). On Saturday morning, around 4 a.m. ET, the capsule rolled out from the Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida and made a slow 10-mile (16 km) trip to United Launch Alliance's Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) at Cape Canaveral.
After about an hour-long ride, the Starliner was carefully lifted onto the Atlas V rocket, which was already waiting inside the VIF. Starliner was positioned to connect to the launch vehicle adapter, which acts as the spacecraft's cradle on the rocket during its ascent. For aerodynamic stability, the structure on the adapter smooths the air over the combined payload and Atlas V.
This mating process of the capsule and the rocket represents a significant step forward in preparation for the system's second uncrewed flight test that will showcase its human transportation capabilities to the orbital lab.
Starliner is set to take off and dock with the ISS on Friday, July 30th at 2:53 p.m. ET. The spacecraft will return to Earth in about five to ten days from its launch and will land in the western U.S.
Now, the spacecraft is fully assembled and ready to head to space on its second orbital test (the last before it will launch with a crew to the ISS). On Saturday morning, around 4 a.m. ET, the capsule rolled out from the Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida and made a slow 10-mile (16 km) trip to United Launch Alliance's Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) at Cape Canaveral.
After about an hour-long ride, the Starliner was carefully lifted onto the Atlas V rocket, which was already waiting inside the VIF. Starliner was positioned to connect to the launch vehicle adapter, which acts as the spacecraft's cradle on the rocket during its ascent. For aerodynamic stability, the structure on the adapter smooths the air over the combined payload and Atlas V.
This mating process of the capsule and the rocket represents a significant step forward in preparation for the system's second uncrewed flight test that will showcase its human transportation capabilities to the orbital lab.
Starliner is set to take off and dock with the ISS on Friday, July 30th at 2:53 p.m. ET. The spacecraft will return to Earth in about five to ten days from its launch and will land in the western U.S.
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