Back on the launch pad, the Boeing Starliner entered the final stages of preparation for its test mission to the International Space Station on Saturday. On Friday, the Starliner Mission Directorate surveyed the “go” — everything from the rocket to the spacecraft to the weather. It's ready to fly. “I personally don't feel nervous. I just feel excited to share this opportunity with my friends and family. I'm excited to have them here,” said Sonny Williams, NASA's experimental astronaut. We've got our fingerprints on every procedure that exists for this spacecraft, and that's part of the testing process. “This is test and development,” said Butch Wilmore, NASA test astronaut. Their Starliner spacecraft named “Calypso,” which sits atop a ULA Atlas V rocket, took up position once again at Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Thursday morning. After years of delays in Boeing's Starliner program, the first human test flight attempt was canceled on May 6. A helium leak was the cause, but it has now been fixed, and teams will be closely monitoring what might be to blame. We've also been working on other changes over the past few weeks, such as the need to exchange merchandise. “I think what I've seen from the Boeing and NASA teams and the ULA team and with the International Space Station, there's a lot of flexibility in dealing with these issues as they arise,” said Steve Stich, NASA's commercial crew program manager. Which tells me we're really ready to fly.” The launch countdown is scheduled to begin in the predawn hours of Saturday. Boeing and NASA hope to offer astronauts another way to reach low-Earth orbit from American soil. Joining SpaceX's Crew Dragon, “We still need the ability to bring astronauts to space stations in the future,” said Dr. Don Platt of Florida Tech. “So I'm sure Boeing would like a share of that business as well.” But before all that, Starliner needs to get a license to carry humans. The next step in the process is scheduled to launch at 12:25 p.m. on Saturday. More coverage: Everything to know about the historic Starliner mission finally launching after several delays. The countdown to the first crew launch of the Boeing Starliner begins on Saturday. Photos: The Boeing Starliner spacecraft is ready for Saturday's launch
Back on the launch pad, the Boeing Starliner entered the final stages of preparation for its test mission to the International Space Station on Saturday.
On Friday, the Starliner Mission Directorate surveyed the “go” — everything from the rocket to the spacecraft to the weather. It's ready to fly.
“I personally don't feel nervous. I just feel excited to share this opportunity with my friends and family. I'm excited to have them here,” said Sonny Williams, NASA test astronaut.
“We've got our fingerprints on every procedure that exists for this spacecraft, and this is part of the testing process. This is test and development,” said Butch Wilmore, NASA's test astronaut.
Their Starliner spacecraft called “Calypso,” which sits atop a ULA Atlas V rocket, took position again at Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Thursday morning.
After years of delays in Boeing's Starliner program, the first human test flight attempt was canceled on May 6. A helium leak was the cause, but it has now been fixed, and teams will be closely monitoring possible causes.
Starliner teams have also been working on other changes over the past few weeks, such as the need to exchange cargo.
“I think what I've seen from the Boeing and NASA teams and the ULA team and with the International Space Station, there's been a lot of flexibility in the last week in dealing with these things as they come up. That tells me we're really ready to fly,” said Steve Stich, NASA's commercial crew program manager. “.
The launch countdown is set to begin in the predawn hours of Saturday, with Boeing and NASA hoping to offer astronauts another way to reach low Earth orbit from American soil. Joining SpaceX's Crew Dragon, which has already been in the game for four years.
“We still need the ability to bring astronauts to space stations in the future. So I'm sure Boeing would like a share of that business as well,” said Dr. Don Platt of Florida Tech.
But before all that, the Starliner needs to obtain a license to transport humans. The next step in the process is scheduled to begin at 12:25 p.m. on Saturday.
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