It was SpaceX that first did it early this year. Now, it's Boeing's turn to prove it can fly in a spacecraft designed specifically for the American astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). In an article posted on CNET, Boeing is said to set to launch the CST-100 Starliner capsule "unscrewed" with support from the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. The said launch from the Cape Canaveral Air Force in Florida is set on Friday. NASA and Boeing are targeting the 3:36 a.m. for a PT liftoff time.
Incidentally, the same CNET article included the NASA tweet saying, "the weather is 70% go for liftoff" as of early this week. This is quite a crucial milestone for the Commercial Crew Program of NASA, "which is looking to launch astronauts from the U.S. soil to the ISS" first time ever from the time the shuttle era concluded in 2011.
Preparing to Make a History
The Orbital Flight Test of Boeing is equal to the unscrewed SpaceX Crew Dragon project that also succeeded in reaching the ISS earlier this year. Presently, SpaceX is working towards the launch of actual astronauts into space. Relatively, Boeing will need to champion the OFT before taking the next step of, according to the CNET article, "welcoming humans on board Starliner."
There are several ways of following the action as Starliner gets ready to make history. If it stays as scheduled, the Starliner capsule will dock with the ISS early morning, the day after the launch. Then, it will remain in the station until December 27 before it returns to Earth. This test flight, according to Trip Healey, NASA OFT mission manager, will result valuable data about the performance of Starliner in the actual setting through every flight phase. More so, the said test flight will exhibit its capability of transporting crew to the space station and take them back home safely.
Activities between Now and the Launch Day
There may have been some delays along the way from the Commercial Crew Program. However, the successful tests of Boeing and SpaceX capsules, according to space.com, "would put human spaceflight on track for 2020." Significant events are taking place between now and the launch on Friday. Come Thursday, December 19, Jim Bridenstine, NASA Administrator, is joining the future astronauts of Being, namely Sunni Williams and Josh Cassada, for their live interviews to be conducted on the TV media channel of NASA.
On Friday, as mentioned earlier, Atlas V rocket that will carry the "unscrewed Starliner spacecraft" is set to lift from the Kennedy Space Center of NASA in Florida at exactly 6:30 a.m. Simultaneously, NASA will start broadcasting the live coverage of the said launch at exactly 5 a.m. Following the launch, if the schedule is followed, NASA is conducting a news conference with a current plan to start at 9 a.m. During the media conference, Bridenstine is expected to give his remarks on the launch.
