Boeing’s long-awaited and highly anticipated Starliner spacecraft made history by successfully delivering two astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS), marking a significant milestone in the company’s journey to certify the capsule for regular crewed missions.
At precisely 10:34 AM Pacific Time, Starliner gracefully docked with the ISS. Observing safety protocols, the hatch was only opened at around 12:46 PM, allowing two spaceflight veterans, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, to enter the ISS and receive a warm welcome from the seven crew members already on board. Williams and Wilmore have visited the ISS twice before, but this is the first time any human has reached the space station via a Boeing Starliner capsule.
Currently, Boeing and NASA are collaborating on a 10-day test mission of the Starliner spacecraft, which has faced numerous delays and technical challenges. The two astronauts will spend eight days onboard the ISS before re-entering Starliner for a parachute-assisted landing in the southwestern United States.
While deemed successful, the mission encountered a few setbacks. Starliner experienced three helium leaks, one of which was detected before the spacecraft even left Earth. However, Boeing has confirmed that these leaks pose no danger to the crew or the vehicle. Additionally, five of the 28 maneuvering thrusters on the capsule’s propulsion system malfunctioned, but after conducting hot-fire tests, Boeing and NASA were able to reactivate four of them. These thrusters are crucial as they make minute trajectory adjustments for the capsule’s approach to the station.
The thruster issue caused the two astronauts to halt Starliner less than 1,000 feet from the ISS and delay docking. Luckily, after troubleshooting the problem, they were able to proceed with docking a few hours later.
“Nice to be attached to the big city in the sky,” remarked Wilmore to Mission Control. “It’s a great place to be.”
The excitement for this momentous occasion was palpable, and it was certainly worth the wait to witness the grand entrance of NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore to the Space Station.
Welcome aboard Starliner crew!
Starliner was launched on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on Wednesday, making it the first time the capsule successfully transported astronauts to space. This mission is the final and critical step in the certification process for Starliner to regularly transport astronauts with NASA. Currently, SpaceX is the sole provider for this service, utilizing its Crew Dragon capsule.
