Boeing's Starliner successfully docks with ISS in first crewed mission
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NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on June 05, 2024 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Boeing's Starliner successfully docked on Thursday with the International Space Station (ISS) during its long-awaited first crewed mission after entering Earth's orbit from a Cape Canaveral launch the day prior.
Why it matters: A successful mission is critical for Starliner to be declared an operational crew system by NASA and for Boeing to begin competing with SpaceX for additional missions to the space station.
- It was Boeing's third attempt at its first crewed mission to the ISS after previous tries were scrapped due to technical issues.
Catch up quick: Its spacecraft launched atop an Atlas V rocket at 10:52am ET from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Wednesday.
- NASA said later Wednesday evening that three helium leaks had been identified on the spacecraft, which remained in stable condition.
- Starliner had been scheduled to dock with the ISS around 12:15pm ET Thursday but the craft had to take a brief pause to troubleshoot control thrusters that had failed.
- Despite the thruster issues, the astronauts on board were able to transition from autonomous flying to manual controls to perform piloting demonstrations before docking around 1:30pm ET.
Zoom in: Aboard Starliner are veteran NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore, who was serving as commander, and Suni Williams, who was piloting the spacecraft.
- Williams' participation marked the first time a woman has been on a flight test of an orbital spacecraft.
- It was also ULA's first crewed launch, which was commemorated by cutting the tie of ULA President and CEO Tory Bruno, a NASA tradition.
The big picture: The crewed test was delayed for years due to technical problems with Starliner that required Boeing to rework aspects of the craft and conduct additional uncrewed test flights.
- Among the malfunctions: stuck propulsion system valves, software glitches and the use of hundreds of feet of flammable protective tape.
- The most recent delays to the mission were unrelated to Starliner, but were problems with United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket.
What's next: The spacecraft's hatch will next open, and Wilmore and Williams will be welcomed by other astronauts on the ISS.
- Wilmore and Williams are expected to spend about a week at the ISS to test components of Starliner before they return to Earth aboard the spacecraft through a parachute and airbag-assisted landing in the southwestern U.S.
Go deeper: New AI system hunts for satellites behaving oddly in space
Editor's note: This story was updated with new developments.
