Boeing's Starliner set for maiden crewed flight to space station

Boeing's new Starliner astronaut capsule is set for its long-awaited inaugural crewed test flight to the International Space Station (ISS), marking a major milestone for the aerospace company.

The CST-100 Starliner, resembling a gumdrop, will carry two astronauts on board and is scheduled for liftoff at 10:34 p.m. from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. Riding atop an Atlas V rocket provided by United Launch Alliance, the joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, the Starliner is designed to accommodate up to seven crew members.

The crew for this historic flight includes veteran NASA astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore, serving as commander, and Sunita "Sunni" Williams, piloting the spacecraft. With extensive spaceflight experience between them, including a combined 500 days in space, Wilmore and Williams will guide the Starliner to the ISS.

While the Starliner is capable of autonomous flight, the crew will practice manual manoeuvres during the test flight. Weather forecasts indicate favourable conditions, prompting ULA to proceed with the launch preparations.

Upon successful launch, the Starliner is expected to rendezvous with the space station after approximately 26 hours, docking with the orbiting laboratory early Wednesday morning.

Following a week-long stay at the ISS, Wilmore and Williams will return to Earth aboard the Starliner, marking the first parachute and airbag-assisted landing for crewed NASA missions in the US Desert Southwest.

The success of this mission is crucial for Boeing, as it seeks final approval to begin routine operational flights under NASA's commercial crew programme, providing an alternative to SpaceX for ferrying astronauts to low-Earth orbit.

Boeing's journey to this milestone has been challenging, marked by years of development setbacks and cost overruns. The Starliner's previous uncrewed test flight in 2019 encountered multiple software and engineering issues, but a subsequent successful attempt in 2022 paved the way for Monday night's crewed mission.

With at least six more crewed missions to the ISS planned, both Boeing and NASA express confidence in the Starliner's readiness for this pivotal flight, emphasizing the rigorous testing and preparations undertaken.

"We are in total agreement that the Starliner is ready to fly with crew," stated Boeing vice president Mark Nappi, reflecting NASA's cautious optimism. NASA chief Bill Nelson reiterated the significance of the mission, emphasising the safety measures in place for this test flight with two experienced test pilots on board.

(With Reuters inputs)