Boeing was yesterday set to launch its Starliner capsule on a crewless eight-day journey to the International Space Station (ISS) and back, a dry run for NASA’s plans to end US dependence on Russia for space rides.
The reputational stakes are high for the aerospace giant, which is in the midst of a safety crisis over its 737 MAX jet, while US national pride is also on the line.
The mission’s sole passenger would be bandana-clad dummy Rosie, named after Rosie the Riveter, the star of a campaign aimed at recruiting women to munitions factory jobs during World War II that featured her wearing blue overalls and flexing a bicep.
Photo: AFP / NASA / JOEL KOWSKY
NASA has been forced to rely on Russian Soyuz rockets to transport its astronauts since the Space Shuttle program was shuttered in 2011 following 30 years of service. The US wants to end this dependence, even if US-Russian space ties have remained immune to a broader deterioration of bilateral relations in recent years.
Under former US president Barack Obama, NASA opted for a shift in how it operates: Instead of owning the hardware, it would hire private companies to take over the role, awarding Boeing and SpaceX billions of dollars to develop “Made in the USA” solutions.
Both companies are running two years behind schedule, but appear almost ready: Approval now rests on the successful completion of final tests.
“By early next year, we’re going to be launching American astronauts on American rockets from American soil again for the first time since the retirement of the space shuttles back in 2011,” NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine told reporters on Thursday at the Kennedy Space Center.
SpaceX already carried out its own successful uncrewed mission to the ISS in March, when its CrewDragon docked with the station and returned to Earth carrying the dummy “Ripley” — named after Sigourney Weaver’s character in the film Alien.
The dummies are packed with sensors to verify the voyage will be safe for future teams of humans.
“It’s been eight-and-a-half years, far too long, in my opinion,” said Boeing astronaut Chris Ferguson, who commanded the last Shuttle mission in 2011 and is set to be on Starliner’s first crewed mission. “But here we are right on the threshold of getting ready to do it, he added.
A giant Atlas V rocket was to take off shortly before sunrise, at 6:36am, from Cape Canaveral on Florida’s coastline, where all US crewed flights are launched.
Starliner, which is fixed to its summit, was to separate 15 minutes later and enter Earth’s orbit. About 25 hours later, it is to dock autonomously with the space station, 400km above sea level.
It is set to return to Earth on Sunday next week.
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