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Boeing's Starliner capsule is back at the launch pad at Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, preparing for its much-anticipated Crew Flight Test (CFT). The launch, scheduled for Saturday, June 1, at 12:25 p.m. EDT (1625 GMT), marks the first-ever astronaut mission for the Starliner and the venerable United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket.
Highlights:
Starliner's Return to the Pad: This rollout marks Starliner's second trip to the launch pad in less than a month.
Crew Flight Test (CFT): The mission aims to certify Starliner for operational, six-month crewed missions to and from the International Space Station (ISS).
NASA Astronauts on Board Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will be the first astronauts to fly on the Starliner.
Previous Scrub and Repairs: An initial launch attempt on May 6 was scrubbed due to a valve issue in the Atlas V's Centaur upper stage.
Final Preparations: After a slight helium leak was detected in one of Starliner's reaction-control thrusters, the issue was deemed minor, and CFT was cleared for the June 1 liftoff following a flight readiness review on May 29.
Starliner and its Atlas V rocket first rolled out to the pad on May 4, ahead of a planned May 6 launch. Unfortunately, the launch was scrubbed about two hours before liftoff due to a misbehaving valve in the Atlas V's Centaur upper stage. ULA decided to replace the faulty valve, which necessitated rolling the rocket back into a nearby assembly facility. This process delayed the CFT mission to May 17.
As the new launch date approached, a slight helium leak was detected in one of Starliner's reaction-control thrusters. Despite the setback, Boeing, NASA, and ULA determined that the helium leak was a minor issue. Following a thorough flight readiness review on May 29, the teams cleared the mission for a June 1 launch.
This mission is crucial for Boeing as it seeks to validate the Starliner as a reliable vehicle for transporting astronauts to the ISS. A successful CFT mission will pave the way for Starliner to conduct regular, six-month crewed missions under NASA's Commercial Crew Program. Boeing holds a contract alongside SpaceX, which has been successfully flying its Crew Dragon missions to the ISS since its Demo-2 flight in 2020.
If the CFT mission proceeds as planned, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will spend approximately seven days aboard the ISS. Their successful return will signify that Starliner is ready for operational missions, complementing SpaceX’s Crew Dragon and enhancing NASA's capabilities for transporting astronauts to and from the ISS.
Stay tuned for the launch on June 1, as Boeing's Starliner takes a significant step toward joining SpaceX in providing regular crewed missions to the International Space Station.\
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