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by Boeing Starliner spacecraft was coupled to its rocket before launch on July 30.
The mission, called Orbital Flight Test 2 (OFT-2), will be Boeing’s second attempt to launch its new astronaut taxi to the International space station. The CST-100 Starliner spacecraft has been stacked on top of its United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on July 17 at the Cape Canaveral space station in Florida, marking a key milestone ahead of the mission’s launch next week.
“Seeing the Starliner atop Atlas V within days of launch is symbolic of our team’s pride in carrying out this mission,” John Vollmer, vice president and program director for the program. Boeing commercial crew, said in a press release from Boeing. “OFT-2 is a critical step on our path to crewed flights, and we are all ready to see our hard work come to life with a successful mission from start to finish. “
Related: Photo Tour: Inside Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner Spacecraft Hangar
Boeing shared video of the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft being deployed from the Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at around 4 a.m. EDT (0800 GMT) on July 17. The spacecraft traveled 10 miles (16 kilometers) to United launch alliance Vertical integration facility at the Cape Canaveral space station, where it was hoisted and mated to its Atlas V rocket. Now, teams will perform integrated testing to ensure the two spacecraft are communicating properly before launch.
The OFT-2 mission will be Boeing’s second unmanned test flight, designed to assess the capabilities of its Starliner spacecraft, including launch, docking, atmospheric reentry and a landing in the western desert the United States. The mission aims to demonstrate that Starliner is ready to transport NASA astronauts to and from the space station, the statement said.
Boeing’s first Starliner test flight was launched in December 2019. However, the spacecraft did not reach the space station as planned due to a series of technical problems. Following a post-flight review, the company fulfilled dozens of NASA requirements before announcing it would repeat the orbital flight test.
“Boeing worked hand-in-hand with NASA to learn lessons from Starliner’s first flight, including rechecking the flight code, completing a full flight software test, and performing end-to-end mission rehearsal with the final flight software, hardware and mission operators, ”officials said in the statement.
The OFT-2 mission previously targeted a launch in March 2021. However, Boeing has experienced delays due to scheduling conflicts with other missions heading to the space station, as well as technical and weather issues.
If all goes according to plan, the Starliner spacecraft will launch on July 30 at 2:53 pm EDT (6:53 pm GMT) from Space Launch Complex 41. The capsule, which will carry supplies and test equipment as well as a flight dummy nicknamed Rosie the Rocketeer to simulate future crewed missions, should dock with the space station the next day.
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