Boeing's Starliner spacecraft takes off Monday on its first manned flight

 

After years of sudden setbacks and successive delays, Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is scheduled to launch Monday on its first manned flight. It will be the first to carry astronauts to the International Space Station, joining a very limited group of vehicles capable of doing so. To carry people into space.

Boeing is banking on this final test mission to prove its vehicle is safe before it begins regular operations to the International Space Station, four years after SpaceX achieved a similar feat.

American astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sonny Williams are scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral in Florida at 22:34 on Monday (02:34 GMT Tuesday) in the "Starliner" capsule, which will be carried into orbit by an Atlas V rocket. A United Launch Alliance innovation.

Weather conditions appear favorable.

The two astronauts have visited the International Space Station twice, first on a space shuttle and then on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft.

"Every detail is new and special," said Butch Wilmore, adding, "I don't think any of us ever dreamed we'd be on the first flight of a completely new vehicle.

The challenge is great for NASA, which requested this vehicle ten years ago, because the availability of a second vehicle alongside the SpaceX vehicle to transport American astronauts "is very important," said Dana Weigel, who is in charge of the International Space Station program.

Weigel explained that the availability of this capability will allow for a better response to "any emergencies," such as problems that arise in one vehicle.

Once the vehicle is launched, the two astronauts will drive it manually to verify that the position is working properly.

The Starliner is scheduled to dock with the International Space Station at about 05:00 GMT on Wednesday, where it will remain for just over a week. Tests will be conducted to ensure it works, and then the astronauts will return to Earth.

The success of this mission would bring a good end to the innovation program, which has been full of obstacles.

In 2019, during the first unmanned test, the capsule did not take the correct course and returned to Earth before arriving at the space station.

In 2021, when the rocket was on the launch pad, malfunctions occurred that prevented the capsule's valves from working, causing another postponement of the mission.

The vehicle was finally able to arrive at the International Space Station empty in May 2022.

The capsule will be able to begin its operational flights to the International Space Station after the completion of the first manned flight.

Boeing had hoped to conduct the first manned flight in 2022, but problems that were discovered late, particularly with the parachutes that will hold the capsule in place during its return to Earth's atmosphere, led to a delay in the launch date.

"We had some problems that were surprising and we had to overcome them, but that made our teams very strong and proud of the way they overcame each problem," said Boeing official Mark Nappi in a press conference.

He added, "It's normal to take ten years to build a human spacecraft.

The astronauts, Boeing and NASA are not ruling out unexpected developments during the mission.

NASA Associate Administrator Jim Frey noted that this is only the sixth time NASA astronauts have launched a new vehicle. The Dragon capsule, developed by SpaceX, had previously joined that narrow circle in 2020, following the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space programs, in addition to the Shuttle program.

Once Starliner is operational, NASA plans to alternate between SpaceX and Boeing vehicles to transport astronauts to the International Space Station.

In 2014, NASA signed firm contracts with SpaceX ($2.6 billion) and Boeing ($4.2 billion) to develop the two spacecraft.

Eric Seedhouse, assistant professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, told AFP: "Everyone thought Boeing would be the first company to transport astronauts to the International Space Station. SpaceX's first success in this area was embarrassing for Boeing."

As the International Space Station nears retirement in 2030, the Starliner and Dragon will be used to transport people to future private space stations that many companies have begun planning.