Boeing preps Starliner ready for launch!
Years behind schedule and more than a billion dollars over budget, Boeing's Starliner capsule is finally poised for its first piloted launch Monday, a critical test flight carrying two veteran astronauts to the International Space Station and in so doing, demonstrate an alternative to SpaceX's already operational Crew Dragon.
While SpaceX has launched 50 astronauts, cosmonauts and civilians into orbit in 13 piloted Crew Dragon flights since May 2020, Boeing has been bedeviled by multiple technical problems that required extensive re-work -- and an additional unpiloted test flight -- to resolve.
But mission managers say all the known issues have been corrected, multiple other upgrades and improvements have been implemented and the spacecraft has been thoroughly tested to verify it is finally ready to safely carry astronauts to and from the space station.
No one is more eager for launch than the Starliner's crew, both active-duty NASA astronauts.
"I have full confidence in the management that makes the decisions that filter down to the operations team, full confidence on the NASA side and the Boeing side," said mission commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore. "There have been some issues in the past. That's the past. That is not now."
Co-pilot Sunita Williams agreed, adding "I feel like we've had a lot of lessons learned, and they've been incorporated. ... We wouldn't say we're ready if we weren't ready."
The Starliner's long-awaited liftoff atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is targeted for 10:34 p.m. EDT Monday, roughly the moment Earth's rotation carries launch complex 41 into alignment with the space station's orbit.
| by Anonymous | reply 21 | May 7, 2024 4:38 AM
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Good.
The US Govt needs to stop doing biz with unstable, anti-america, and obviously compromised Elon Musk.
Companies like Boeing didn't have the luxury of throwing good money after bad to get their rocket biz off the ground like Space X did.
Just because Elon was the first should not give him preference. He's a danger to the US and democracy in general.
| by Anonymous | reply 1 | May 6, 2024 6:54 PM
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I hope the pilots feel safe, given Boeing's horrible reputation right now.
Flying in to space is much different than flying to Los Angeles on a Boeing aircraft.
Has it launched yet? I'd love to watch.
| by Anonymous | reply 2 | May 6, 2024 6:58 PM
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Streaming live on Youtube in about 2 hours.
| by Anonymous | reply 3 | May 6, 2024 8:35 PM
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This should work out well for them.
| by Anonymous | reply 4 | May 6, 2024 9:02 PM
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[quote] The US Govt needs to stop doing biz with unstable, anti-america, and obviously compromised Elon Musk.
NASA gave Boeing $4 billion to build and test a capsule and gave SpaceX $2 billion to do the same. ๐ญ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐๐ the manned SpaceX capsule has flown twelve crews to the space station while only now is decrepit Boeing daring to put two men at risk.
SpaceX. On time. Cheaper. Safe.
| by Anonymous | reply 6 | May 6, 2024 11:44 PM
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Iโm sure itโll go fine!!!
| by Anonymous | reply 7 | May 6, 2024 11:46 PM
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[quote]SpaceX. On time. Cheaper. Safe.
Yes we know youโre in love with Musk, Defacto.
| by Anonymous | reply 8 | May 6, 2024 11:53 PM
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Boeing better hope to high hell that capsule don't blow up real good!
| by Anonymous | reply 10 | May 7, 2024 12:11 AM
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DEI IN Space
Naturally the Boeing test crew of two includes a POC
| by Anonymous | reply 11 | May 7, 2024 12:21 AM
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SpaceX does a damn good job. Lots of reasons to hate Elon without going after that.
Anyway, going to go take a peek at the launch tonight. If it explodes and they die due to Boeing issues, hey, at least I get to say I saw it live.
| by Anonymous | reply 12 | May 7, 2024 12:26 AM
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That lady astronaut Sunita Williams has the face of a witch.
Long jawline, protruding chin, crooked nose.
Yikes!
| by Anonymous | reply 13 | May 7, 2024 12:38 AM
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You're an idiot, R11.
These are the first nine astronauts chosen to by NASA to participate in the first commercial space flights.
2 out of 9 are POC. 6 out of 9 are white males.
Asshole.
| by Anonymous | reply 14 | May 7, 2024 12:47 AM
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Sunita Williams among 9 astronauts named by NASA for first commercial flights
| by Anonymous | reply 15 | May 7, 2024 12:48 AM
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Well, damn--I was only $5 million over, and look what they did to ME!
| by Anonymous | reply 16 | May 7, 2024 1:02 AM
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Scrubbed.
Boeing can't even get off the pad.
| by Anonymous | reply 17 | May 7, 2024 1:41 AM
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An Atlas 5 rocket carrying astronauts for the first time was fueled for blastoff Monday night to boost Boeing's long-delayed Starliner crew ferry ship into orbit for its first piloted test flight. But trouble with a valve in the rocket's upper stage forced mission managers to order a scrub just two hours before takeoff.
It was a frustrating disappointment for commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore and co-pilot Sunita Williams, who were in the process of strapping in for launch when the scrub was announced. The moment brought to mind one of Wilmore's favorite sayings, "you'd rather be on the ground wishing you were in space than in space and wishing you were on the ground."
It was not immediately clear when Boeing and rocket-builder United Launch Alliance might be able to make another attempt, but engineers will first have to figure out what caused an oxygen relief valve in the rocket's Centaur upper stage to "chatter" during the late stages of fueling and what might be required to fix it.
Running years behind schedule and more than a billion dollars over budget, the Starliner is Boeing's answer to SpaceX's Crew Dragon, an already operational spacecraft that has carried 50 astronauts, cosmonauts and civilians into orbit in 13 flights, 12 of them to the space station.
NASA funded development of both spacecraft to ensure the agency would be able to launch crews to the outpost even if one company's ferry ship was grounded for any reason. While it's taken Boeing longer than expected to ready their ship for crew flights, all systems appeared go for launch from pad 41 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 10:34 p.m. EDT.
Engineers were in the process of completing propellant loading when the valve problem was detected. After assessing its performance, engineers could not get "comfortable" with its behavior and the launching was called off.
| by Anonymous | reply 18 | May 7, 2024 3:57 AM
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[quote] engineers will first have to figure out what caused an oxygen relief valve in the rocket's Centaur upper stage to "chatter" during the late stages of fueling and what might be required to fix it.
Need some tech advice ?
| by Anonymous | reply 19 | May 7, 2024 4:08 AM
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Well that's a relief, i was afraid it was going to explode given Boeing's current run
| by Anonymous | reply 21 | May 7, 2024 4:38 AM
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