American astronaut of Indian origin, Sunita Williams, piloted the Starliner capsule to the space station. This was its first manned trial flight, meaning it was the first time humans traveled to space in this capsule. This is the Starliner Crew Flight Test spacecraft.
First, let's dive into the full story of Boeing's Starliner...
Boeing Defense, Space & Security built the Starliner spacecraft. The goal was to transport astronauts to and from the space station. NASA funded Boeing to build this spacecraft under the Commercial Crew Program. The first model of this spacecraft was presented in 2010.
Read more: Chandrayaan-4 Parts to be Assembled in Space… ISRO Chief Makes Big Announcement
Boeing has a long-standing relationship with NASA through the Apollo, Space Shuttle, and Space Station programs. In October 2011, NASA gave Boeing the green light to build the spacecraft. It took six years to complete, finishing in 2017. Testing flights continued through 2019, but these were unmanned.
Source: aajtak
First flight failed to dock with the space station
The first unmanned orbital flight test took place on December 20, 2019. No humans were on board, but due to software errors, it reached a different orbit and couldn't dock with the space station. It landed back on December 22, 2019, at New Mexico’s White Sands Missile Range.
Failures in maneuvering and thrusters during the second flight
The second unmanned flight happened on April 6, 2020, with the aim of reaching the space station and docking. However, the launch was delayed to August 2021 due to issues in 13 propulsion valves.
Read more: How Will Starliner Bring Sunita Williams Back to Earth… What's NASA’s Plan?
Boeing rebuilt the spacecraft, and a trial flight was prepared in May 2022. On May 19, 2022, Starliner launched again with two dummy astronauts, which are lifeless models resembling humans. But the orbital maneuvering and attitude control system thrusters failed.
Source: aajtak
Finally, on May 22, 2022, the Starliner docked with the space station, and on May 25, 2022, it returned to Earth. During reentry, there were navigation system issues, communication glitches, and GPS satellite connection loss, but Boeing stated these were normal occurrences.
Sunita's third flight was delayed by seven years…
The third manned flight was scheduled for 2017 but got delayed until July 2023. On June 1, 2023, Boeing announced another postponement. By August 7, 2023, Boeing resolved all spacecraft issues, setting the next flight for May 6, 2024.
Read more: Despite Past Issues, Sunita Williams Sent to Space in the Same Capsule… Here Are Four Return Options
However, the launch was again delayed due to an oxygen valve problem in the Atlas rocket, followed by helium leaks in the spacecraft. Finally, on June 5, Sunita Williams and Barry
