Nasa boeing starliner launch5/1/2023 The second issue was that a device known as a sublimator responsible for cooling the spacecraft was initially slow to get started. The first was that two out of 12 orbital maneuvering and attitude control (OMAC) thrusters located on Starliner's aft side had initially fired but then shut down, forcing a third to take up their slack. ![]() NASA is looking to certify Starliner as a second "taxi" service for its astronauts to the space station - a role that Elon Musk's SpaceX has provided since succeeding in a test mission for its Dragon capsule in 2020. Its success is key to repairing Boeing's frayed reputation after the first bid, back in 2019, failed to dock with the ISS due to software bugs-one that led to it burning too much fuel to reach its destination, and another that could have destroyed the vehicle during re-entry.Ī second try was scheduled in August of last year, but Starliner was rolled back from the launchpad to address sticky valves that weren't opening as they should, and the capsule was eventually sent back to the factory for fixes.Īt a post-launch press conference, senior NASA official Steve Sitch said: "Overall, the spacecraft is doing really well," but he also flagged two anomalies that engineers were now working to understand. The Orbital Test Flight 2 (OFT-2) mission blasted off at 6:54 pm Eastern Time (2254 GMT) from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with the spaceship fixed atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. ![]() ![]() The spacecraft encountered some propulsion troubles early in its journey, with two thrusters responsible for orbital maneuvering failing for unclear reasons-but NASA officials said the mission remained on track.
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