Boeing’s Starliner astronaut capsule finally launched from Florida on June 5, carrying astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore after numerous delays due to technical issues.
The CST-100 Starliner lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station aboard an Atlas V rocket provided by United Launch Alliance (ULA), marking its first crewed test flight. The mission includes veteran NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Indian American Sunita “Suni” Williams.
Key Milestones in Starliner’s Journey:
– Sept. 4, 2015: Boeing unveils its commercial spaceship assembly plant.
– Nov. 4, 2019: Parachute failure during an unmanned test.
– Dec. 20, 2019: Successful uncrewed launch to the ISS.
– Dec. 22, 2019: Precise landing in New Mexico.
– Jan. 7, 2020: NASA and Boeing investigate a software glitch from the December flight.
– Feb. 6, 2020: Review panel reveals Boeing narrowly avoided catastrophic failure.
– Aug. 25, 2020: First crewed mission set for 2021.
– Oct. 7, 2020: Wilmore replaces Ferguson as chief astronaut.
– July 29, 2021: Space station mishap delays launch.
– Aug. 3, 2021: Launch postponed due to a new glitch.
– Aug. 13, 2021: Valve issue pushes launch to mid-October.
– May 19, 2022: Uncrewed test flight to ISS.
– May 20, 2022: Successful docking with the ISS.
– Aug. 25, 2022: Crewed mission aimed for early 2023.
– June 1, 2023: Launch preparations paused for safety issues.
– May 3, 2024: Launch targeted for the following week.
– May 6, 2024: Fault halts launch countdown.
– May 7, 2024: New launch date set for May 17.
– May 14, 2024: Delay to at least May 21 due to propulsion issue.
– May 17, 2024: Further delay to May 25 for helium leak check.
– May 21, 2024: Launch postponed for more leak evaluations.
– May 22, 2024: New target launch date of June 1.
– June 1, 2024: Automatic abort minutes before liftoff.
– June 2, 2024: Launch rescheduled for June 5.
– June 5, 2024: Successful launch with docking with the ISS set for June 6.