Until recently, only space company SpaceX could transport astronauts from American soil to the International Space Station. Boeing wants to change that. Last Thursday, the company put its Starliner spacecraft to a test: Starliner headed for the ISS unmanned. On Saturday morning, the craft successfully docked with the space station.
Starliner took off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Thursday, May 19, atop an Atlas V rocket. It arrived at the ISS nearly 24 hours after launch. Now that the test mission has been successful, it means an end to the monopoly of SpaceX – previously the only company that could send astronauts from American soil into orbit.
Troubled past
The Starliner craft has completed its journey despite problems with the thrusters. Two of the twelve thrusters failed as Starliner maneuvered into orbit. That turned out not to be a big problem: backup thrusters ensured that the spacecraft could continue on its way.
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The system is designed to rely on spare parts, Boeing program director Mark Nappi said at a press conference on May 19. “He performed as he should. We have a safe vehicle.’
Starliner has had a turbulent past. In 2019, the craft failed to reach the ISS. A faulty clock then prevented the rocket’s boosters from turning on properly after the lift-off moment. Another launch was planned in 2021, but then it turned out a few hours before the launch that valves had been affected by weather influences. The launch was subsequently postponed to May 19, 2022.
“Bringing a new spacecraft into space is always a challenge,” said space expert Libby Jackson of the British Space Agency. †[Ruimtevaartbedrijven] perform tests to identify potential problems. They don’t go to the launch pad without making sure they’re ready.’
Scheduled flights
Now that Starliner has reached the ISS, Boeing is the second commercial company to be able to take American astronauts to space. Starliner’s first manned launch will take place later this year.
SpaceX first brought two astronauts to the ISS in May 2020, aboard the Crew Dragon capsule. Since then, eight astronauts have been transported by SpaceX on two more missions.
In 2018, the Russian Soyuz rocket was the only way to get to the ISS. When the rocket showed problems, there was a risk that astronauts would become temporarily ‘stuck’ on the space station. For the American space agency NASA, that was part of the reason for boosting the commercial space sector: they didn’t want to be completely dependent on Russia. The invasion of Ukraine makes that more relevant than ever.
“If you have two different ways to get into space, if there are problems with either one, you have another option.” [om op terug te vallen]’ says Jackson. “That’s really important to make sure we can continue to use the International Space Station safely.”