The Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2 or OFT-2 is slated for launch to the International Space Station next week, according to space reports.
NASA and Boeing are scheduled to launch OFT-2 specifically on Thursday, May 19 at 6:54 pm, EDT, Daily Times reported. The scheduled takeoff is the second uncrewed flight for the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft of Boeing as part of the Commercial Crew Program of NASA.
According to NASA, Starliner is set for launch on a United Launch Alliance V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, based in Florida.
NASA, Boeing to launch uncrewed test flight to space station - https://t.co/eNqNumGWvI
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The said spacecraft is expected to arrive at the ISS for docking approximately 24 hours from launch with over 500 pounds of NASA cargo and crew supplies.
The Launch
FOX 35 reported that according to the American space agency, following a successful docking, "Starliner will spend five to 10 days aboard the orbiting laboratory before returning to Earth in the western United States.
CS-100 Starliner will return with almost 600 pounds of cargo, as earlier mentioned, specifically including reusable NORS or Nitrogen Oxygen Recharge System tanks that offer breathable air to crew members on the station.
Boeing attempted a repeat of the Orbital Flight Test in August last year, but it discovered a problem with some valves in the vehicle sticking.
Furthermore, the United Launch Alliance Atlas V and Starliner spacecraft were rolled back from the Cape Canaveral launchpad, and engineers immediately started to investigate the issue. The problem with the valves was particularly caused by oxidation, and humidity in Florida was a contributing factor.
The Boeing CST-100 Starliner
The Crew Space Transportation or CST-100 Starliner of Boeing has been developed in collaboration with the Commercial Crew Program of NASA. This capsule was designed to accommodate seven passengers, or a combination of cargo and crew, for missions to low-Earth orbit.
For NASA service missions to the ISS, it will carry a maximum of four NASA-sponsored crew members and time-crucial scientific experiments. Essentially, the Starliner features an innovative, weldless structure, and can be reused up to 10 times with a turnaround time of six months. It features wireless internet and tablet technology as well, for crew interfaces.
NASA's Space Crew Program
The Commercial Crew Program of NASA is delivering on its goal of reliable, cost-efficient, and safe human transportation to, and from the ISS from the United States through an alliance with American private industry.
A new generation of launch systems and spacecraft capable of carrying astronauts to low-Earth orbit and the ISS offers expanded utility, additional time for research, and broader opportunities for discovery on orbiting laboratory. Moreover, the station is a crucial testbed for NAS to understand and surpass the challenges of long-duration spaceflight.
With the ability to buy astronaut transportation from Boeing and SpaceX as a service on a fixed-cost contract, NASA can employ and utilize resources to put the first-ever woman and the first-ever person of color on the Moon as part of its Artemis missions to prepare for human missions to the Red Planet.
The space agency has officially certified the crew system of SpaceX and began carrying out regular missions with astronauts to the ISS. The crew system of the Elon Musk-led company launches on the firm's Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center of NASA.
Related information about the CST-100 Starliner is shown on Space.com's YouTube video below:
Check out more news and information on Space in Science Times.
