Boeing's Starliner successfully docks at ISS completing crucial OFT-2 mission step

Boeing Space redeemed itself on May 21 as its uncrewed CST-100 Starliner capsule successfully docked at the International Space Station (ISS). The company had launched the capsule under the NASA-backed Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) mission that took off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on May 20. Notably, this was Boeing's second test flight following the one in 2019, which ended in a failure as the Starliner had failed to dock at the ISS. 

Following Starliner's arrival at 4:40 am(IST), the company shared a clip of the Expedition 67 astronauts aboard the space station who welcomed the cargo-laden spacecraft. European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Samantha Christoforetti, who recently made it to the ISS as NASA's Crew-4, also shared pictures of the spacecraft approaching and docking the ISS.

The OFT-2 mission was launched with the aim to test the end-to-end capabilities of Starliner from launch to docking, atmospheric re-entry, and a desert landing. This mission is Boeing's second shot at a NASA license as the Starliner is again bound for the space station, this time with around 362 kilograms of cargo. 

It was a highly successful mission yesterday: NASA astronaut Bob Hines

After the successful docking of Starliner, the astronauts on board became the first people to enter the spacecraft in orbit. The ISS members then opened the cargo-laden spacecraft and unloaded some of the cargo during the welcome ceremony. NASA astronaut Bob Hines, in a clip shared by Boeing, was heard calling the mission a "highly successful" one and underscored NASA's Commerical Crew Program which has resulted in three human-rated spacecraft docked at the space station. 

According to Boeing's recent statement, the astronauts will spend the next few days unloading the Starliner and will perform a few system tests. NASA said that the OFT-2 will also build on the objectives achieved during Starliner's first flight. Once the docking is successful, the capsule will spend five to 10 days in space and will return with about 272 kilograms of cargo.