One billion dollars has been poured into the Starliner project in the past ten years. The spacecraft, built by Boeing, one of the largest aircraft industry companies in the world, and operated by NASA is due to launch two astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) on May 6th. However, it's been a long road for Starliner to reach the launch pad. 

The Set Backs 

Starliner was selected by NASA in 2013 for its new Commercial Crew Program. At first, Boeing was overjoyed by their proposal being selected. The spacecraft was intended to be a low-cost, partially reusable space capsule that could carry a crew of 7 to the ISS. Boeing quickly got to work and within six years Boeing engineers were confident that the spacecraft was fit to carry humans into space. However, NASA had a list of regulations that Starliner would need to prove, not in a simulation but in space. Boeing would need to send Starliner on an unmanned flight test, to and back from ISS with as little error as possible. Despite this many of Boeing's top officials were confident that Starliner would perform well.

In December 2019, Starliner lifted off from Cape Canaveral Florida, and into the deep void of space. The launch was flawless, Starliner separated from the rocket perfectly and was operating normally. That's when the trouble started, the spacecraft’s Mission Elapsed Time (MET) clock was off by several minutes. This caused the spacecraft to fire its engines at the wrong time causing it to enter an entirely different orbit. The spacecraft no longer had enough fuel to reach the ISS. So the mission was called off early. When Starliner attempted to land on Earth, it came in at a steeper angle than it was supposed to, which caused it to land too fast. Afterward, NASA declared that Starliner would have to fly another unmanned mission to prove that was flightworthy. 

Heartbroken Boeing engineers brought the spacecraft back for inspection in early February 2020. They had just started fixing the spacecraft's computer bugs when COVID-19 came. This caused massive delays in the program. After two years of struggle, Boeing finally launched Starliner on its second flight in May 2022. The spacecraft performed all of the required expectations well. And docked with the ISS like it was supposed to, the landing was also uneventful. NASA then approved it for its first manned flight.  

The Flight

Starliner is due for launch on Monday, May 6. And this could be Boeing's chance to prove itself. This year, many of Boeing's airplanes have been breaking apart mid-flight. Although all the planes have landed safely, there have been no crashes yet. According to the FAA, around 200 737-9 MAX planes made by Boeing have been grounded this year. Boeing hopes that the Starliner mission will go well so that they can revive their recently smudged public image. Despite the buzz around Boeing’s reliability, NASA has complete confidence in Starliner. 

“We feel very safe and very comfortable when this spacecraft flies,” said Suni Williams, one of the astronauts flying onboard Starliner in a press conference earlier this week. “This is where we’re supposed to be.”

The launch is scheduled at 10:40 p.m. on Monday

Sources:

https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/

https://www.faa.gov/