Here's what to expect during Boeing Starliner's 1st astronaut test flight on May 6
- by Space.com
- May 02, 2024
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Illustration of Boeing Starliner streaking through Earth's atmosphere with fiery trails visible.
(Image credit: Boeing)
Undocking will be timed for 6.5 hours after landing, with the crew expected to move to the zenith of the ISS before turning on the engines for a departure burn.
Unlike a normal mission, the crew will briefly take manual control of the spacecraft during the cruise home to continue testing. "I like to call [this] stick and rudder flying; in fact, they can even deorbit and land in that mode," Lammers said. The crew will evaluate how the spacecraft performs in manual operations, and how that compares with the simulators in which they practiced procedures before the launch.
After a couple of orbits of Earth, the crew will finally execute a deorbit burn over the Pacific Ocean. Starliner's primary landing zone is White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, with two backup areas available: Willcox Playa east of Tucson, Arizona and Dugway Proving Ground west of Salt Lake City.
Boeing's Starliner space capsule touching down after a successful test flight in 2022.
(Image credit: NASA)
The prime landing time is at night due to weather constraints. The main constraints are low winds that are less than 10 knots and cool temperatures to protect the landing teams that will be wearing special safety suits to protect against potential leaks on the spacecraft, Lammers said. Infrared tracking and lighting will help with the darkness.
The crew will point their heat shield at the atmosphere for re-entry. Around 30,000 feet (9 km) high, the crew will jettison that heat shield and then deploy their parachute drogues. The three main chutes will deploy at 8,000 feet (2.5 km). Touchdown will happen in the desert, shortly after the airbags deploy.
A landing team will be on site, roughly 3 miles (5 km) away to avoid any falling pieces from the spacecraft. The astronauts will throw a switch to jettison their chutes, as the landing team makes their approach. Once the landing team arrives at the spacecraft, they will do brief safety check and then remove the crew. Both astronauts will be assessed medically in the field before being flown back to Houston for normal post-flight medical checks, debriefings and operations.
What's next
NASA astronauts Suni Williams (left) and Mike Fincke at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, backdropped by the Vehicle Assembly Building. Williams is on Crew Flight Test, while Fincke will command Starliner-1.
(Image credit: NASA)
The first operational mission for Starliner, known as Starliner-1, is set for early 2025 at the earliest. The crew for that mission is NASA's Scott Tingle, NASA's Mike Fincke and the Canadian Space Agency's Joshua Kutryk and they are already deep in training. (Kutryk will also serve as capcom for the launch phase of CFT.)
Boeing is then expected to run regular Starliner missions to the ISS, alongside SpaceX. Currently the commercial crew program aims to bring one astronaut crew to the orbiting complex every six months. Russia's Soyuz spacecraft also does the same, occasionally with NASA astronauts on board for technical and policy reasons.
The ISS is currently expected to host missions until 2030, unless upcoming commercial space stations are not yet ready. Russia has committed to missions until at least 2028, but also may extend that partnership.
As for missions outside the ISS, Boeing officials have said they want to focus on NASA obligations first before considering private Starliner missions.
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