Returning to Earth from the International Space Station. - Spacecraft "Starliner" sets off on inaugural journey with personnel aboard.
Years of delays have finally come to an end as the ailing spacecraft "Starliner" took flight for its first-ever crewed test mission to the International Space Station (ISS) from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The craft, boasting NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Suni Williams within, was propelled into action by the mighty "Atlas V" rocket, as viewers witnessed in real-time through images from the American space authority, NASA. "Go, Atlas! Go, Starliner! Good luck, Butch and Suni!" were the blurting words from the control center in the seconds before lift-off.
The Starliner test flight had been consistently pushed back due to several technical issues jeopardizing both the spacecraft and its rocket; these included a helium leak and a glitch-riddled ground computer system.
The Starliner is a partially reusable object, made up of a crew capsule and a service module. This differs from the "Crew Dragon" by SpaceX, which lands on water, with the Starliner instead latching onto land. Staring at an anticipated arrival at the ISS on Thursday, Williams and Wilmore are destined to stay there for a good seven days.
Enthusing over this momentous expedition, NASA leader Bill Nelson declared, "Two gutsy NASA astronauts are taking flight for the first-ever mission of a brand new spacecraft." The Starliner, courtesy of Boeing, is ushering in a brand new chapter in American research, with space travel considered a bold undertaking - yet one which is ultimately valuable. "Manned spaceflight is a bold venture - but it's absolutely worth it. This is an exhilarating time for NASA, our commercial associates, and the future of exploration."
Postponed due to various technical obstacles, this mission had been canceled earlier than anticipated on several occasions. Among the issues experienced were a helium leak and a faulty ground computer system.
Partially recyclable, the Starliner consists of a crew capsule and a service module. Reversing the Crew Dragon's preference for water landings, the Starliner opts for landing on land. Set to touch down at the ISS on Thursday, Wilmore and Williams are projected to remain there for a week's duration.
At the eve of the launch, an urgently-needed spare part was secured for the ISS. Broken earlier than anticipated, the space station's urine pump, which facilitates the conversion of astronaut urine into drinkable water, was replaced with a substitute. To free up space for this hefty 70-kilogram replacement, two bags carrying clothes and hygiene products belonging to Williams and Wilmore were removed from the Starliner. Nonetheless, the ISS has a plentiful supply of these essentials for its residents.
A success was achieved back in May 2022 when the Starliner, developed and constructed by Boeing, had made its first successful, uncrewed trip to the ISS, living there for four days. The spacecraft had previously failed to even reach the ISS during a trial flight sans astronauts in 2019.
In its bid to contend with the "Crew Dragon" space capsule by SpaceX, the Starliner is poised to offer transportation for astronauts to the ISS. However, the project lags behind schedule, while the Crew Dragon has been shipping astronauts to the ISS for several years.
