No problem for Starliner: the capsule has docked well with the ISS


Starliner, the capsule designed by Boeing, carried out its mission successfully, but years behind the originally announced schedule.

It was time. More than 2 years after a first failure, the Starliner capsule, built by Boeing, was able to dock with the International Space Station. The arrival of the capsule took place at night, and docking with the ISS took place precisely at 2:28 a.m. in Paris (8:28 p.m. from NASA headquarters).

The capsule arrived almost an hour late on the initially scheduled time, notes France Info, but nothing to worry about: the delay was not due to technical problems, but to checks and adjustments of last minute. The American space agency immediately announced the good news via Twitter, welcoming the good performance of the mission.

An important flight for Boeing

Now that the capsule is securely attached to the ISS, its hatch will open in a few hours. Starliner was not carrying an astronaut, but nearly 230 kilos of supplies and food. The capsule will then remain docked to the ISS for 5 days, while the ISS astronauts carry out some checks. It will then return to Earth. She has to landon the base of White Sands, located in the desert of New Mexico, in the south of the United States.

The Starliner capsule has arrived safely // Source: NASA / YouTube

The success of the Starliner flight was a major challenge for Boeing. The American manufacturer, which we know specializes in aviation, has been trying for years to enter the space race. But his previous test with a Starliner capsule had gone badly: in 2019, the insertion into orbit of the capsule had failed following a timer problem, which had prompted engineers to cancel the rendezvous with the ISS and precipitate Starliner’s landfall.

Boeing had not been able to redo tests until now and has therefore fallen behind its competitor, SpaceX, which has already been transporting astronauts on behalf of NASA since 2020. The objective now for Boeing is to become a carrier official of the American space agency, as are already SpaceX and the Russian Roscosmos. A second test flight is due to take place by the end of 2022, and Starliner will leave this time with a crew on board. The first real operational mission to the ISS should take place in the spring of 2023 – if all goes well.

Look at the world from space



Source link -100