After several delays, the Starliner spacecraft is finally ready for its crucial test launch to the International Space Station (ISS) on May 19.
Boeing will conduct the Starliner test launch at 5:54 AM on May 20, Vietnam time. (Source: YouTube).
The uncrewed flight, named OFT-2, is a significant step towards certifying the spacecraft for human transport, thus providing NASA with a second vehicle alongside SpaceX for space missions.
Initially, the American aerospace manufacturer Boeing planned to conduct the Starliner test launch in 2019, but the spacecraft failed to “dock” with the ISS due to software issues.
Subsequently, the launch of the Starliner spacecraft has been postponed several times.
Boeing also aimed to launch the spacecraft in August 2021, but the flight was canceled just hours before takeoff due to high humidity causing corrosion in the Starliner’s valves.
NASA is set to launch Starliner at 10:54 PM GMT on May 19 (which is 5:54 AM on May 20, Vietnam time) from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
If OFT-2 is successful, Boeing will conduct an additional crewed test launch before Starliner officially receives certification for human transport.
Boeing’s target for this certification is by the end of 2022.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s SpaceX has successfully transported over 20 people to the ISS aboard the Crew Dragon since its first crewed flight in 2020.
