Astronaut crew from Boeing Starliner welcomed on space station for the first time

Boeing’s Starliner Successfully Docks at ISS Despite Setbacks

Boeing's Starliner capsule, carrying a two-member NASA crew, safely docked with the International Space Station (ISS) after overcoming several technical hurdles, marking a significant milestone in its competition with Elon Musk's SpaceX. Despite some guidance-control jet thrusters failing due to a helium propulsion leak, the mission remained uncompromised according to NASA and Boeing statements.

The Starliner, with astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams aboard, completed a nearly 27-hour journey from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida to the ISS. The capsule, named "Calypso," was launched atop an Atlas V rocket provided by the Boeing-Lockheed Martin joint venture, United Launch Alliance. The autonomous docking occurred 250 miles above the southern Indian Ocean, with both the ISS and Starliner moving at approximately 17,500 miles per hour. Wilmore briefly took manual control of the capsule during its final approach, which was broadcasted on a NASA webcast.

Upon docking, Wilmore communicated to mission control in Houston, expressing his relief and joy at the successful coupling with the ISS. The astronauts are expected to perform standard procedures, such as checking for airlock leaks and pressurizing the passage between the capsule and the ISS. This process is anticipated to last about two hours, after which Wilmore and Williams will be welcomed by the ISS's current crew, which includes four U.S. astronauts and three Russian cosmonauts.

Mission Details and Challenges

The astronauts will stay at the ISS for approximately eight days before returning to Earth, planning a reentry that will end with a parachute and airbag-assisted landing in the U.S. Desert Southwest. Despite the issues with Starliner's propulsion system, including helium leaks affecting some of its thrusters, the spacecraft had sufficient functioning thrusters to complete the mission. These leaks led to the disabling of an additional thruster by mission control shortly before docking.

Technical Problems and Development Delays

The launch came after years of technical complications and delays for the Starliner project, culminating in a successful, unmanned test mission in 2022. Previous attempts at a crewed mission were scrubbed due to last-minute technical issues, including a helium leak in the propulsion system. The problem was traced to a faulty seal on one of the thrusters, which was determined to be non-critical.

Competitive Landscape

Boeing developed Starliner under a $4.2 billion contract with NASA, positioning it as a competitor to SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule. Since 2020, Crew Dragon has been NASA’s primary vehicle for transporting astronauts to the ISS from U.S. soil. The current Starliner mission is a pre-condition for NASA to certify the capsule for routine missions. The selected crew members, Wilmore and Williams, are seasoned NASA veterans with considerable spaceflight experience.

The journey to this point has been tumultuous for Boeing, marked by schedule delays and budget overruns exceeding $1.5 billion. Concurrently, Boeing has faced other significant challenges within its commercial airplane manufacturing sector, notably with the 737 MAX jetliners.