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Boeing Initiates Fueling of Starliner Capsule for Historic Astronaut Launch
Boeing has commenced the process of fueling up its Starliner capsule in preparation for the spacecraft’s inaugural astronaut mission. The upcoming mission, known as Crew Flight Test (CFT), is currently slated for an early May launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The mission will transport NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore to the International Space Station (ISS), where they will spend approximately 10 days.
On Monday, Boeing reported a significant milestone towards the planned launch by initiating the propellant loading process for Starliner, a procedure expected to span about two weeks. The fueling operations are underway at Boeing’s Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility (C3PF) located at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, adjacent to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Boeing stated in a recent update that the propellant loading operation is being conducted by a team of trained technicians, along with fluids, propellant, and electrical test engineers. Throughout the process, test specialists closely monitor the spacecraft, including various sensors, valves, and the overall environment within the C3PF facility.
Commercial Crew Program Overview
In September 2014, NASA awarded Boeing and SpaceX contracts under the Commercial Crew Program, a move aimed at fostering commercial crew transportation capabilities to low Earth orbit. While SpaceX has successfully completed multiple crewed missions to the ISS, Boeing’s Starliner is yet to carry astronauts on board.
Starliner has undergone two test flights to date, with the first mission in December 2019 encountering technical challenges that prevented a successful rendezvous with the ISS. However, the second test flight in May 2022 achieved its objectives, demonstrating progress in Starliner’s development.
Challenges and Progress
The Crew Flight Test (CFT) was originally planned for launch last summer but faced delays due to technical issues, notably problems with the suspension lines on Starliner’s parachutes and concerns regarding the spacecraft’s wiring wrapped in flammable material. These challenges have since been addressed by technicians, paving the way for the upcoming CFT mission to proceed as scheduled this spring, according to statements from NASA and Boeing officials.
Stay tuned for further updates as Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft gears up for this historic milestone in human spaceflight.
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