Boeing is set to launch its Starliner capsule Friday on its first crewless eight-day journey to the International Space Station and back.
It is a dry run for NASA’s plans to end US dependence on Russia for space rides – a move that will see SpaceX and Boeing operate flights to the ISS.
It will leave Earth on top of a giant Atlas V rocket and will take off shortly before sunrise, at 6:36 am local time (1136 GMT) from Cape Canaveral on Florida’s coastline.
The reputational stakes are high for the aerospace giant, which is in the midst of a safety crisis over its 737 MAX jet, while US national pride is also on the line.
NASA has been forced to rely on Russian Soyuz rockets to transport its astronauts since the Space Shuttle program ended in 2011 following thirty years of service.
The Starliner capsule is leaving Earth on top of the giant Atlas V rocket at Cape Canaveral in Florida . Data from this test will be used to certify Boeing’s crew transportation system for carrying astronauts to and from the ISS
The reputational stakes of the crewless mission are high for Boeing, emboiled in a safety crisis over its 737 MAX jet. This artist impression shows the starliner capsule over Earth
The sole passenger on the Starliner trip to the ISS will be bandana-clad dummy Rosie, named after Rosie the Riveter.
The original Rosie was the star of a campaign aimed at recruiting women to munitions factory jobs during World War II that featured her flexing a bicep.
Under former president Barack Obama, NASA opted for a shift in how it operates: instead of owning the hardware, it would hire private companies to take over.
NASA awarded Boeing and SpaceX billions of dollars to develop ‘Made in the USA’ solutions and this is the first test of the Boeing capsule to the ISS.
Both companies are running two years behind schedule but appear almost ready – approval now rests on the successful completion of final tests.
Rosie the astronaut test dummy positioned in the space capsule at the Kennedy Space Center. The test dummy will be riding to the space station on Boeing’s new Starliner capsule
The Starliner will fly on top of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket as seen here before being rolled out to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41, at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, USA
The US space agency hopes to have commercial operators taking crew to and from the International Space Station up to at least 2024.
SpaceX has already carried out its own successful uncrewed mission to the International Space Station.
Its Dragon capsule docked with the station and returned to Earth carrying the dummy ‘Ripley’ — named after Sigourney Weaver’s character in the film ‘Alien.’
The dummies are packed with sensors to verify the voyage will be safe for future teams of humans.
‘By early next year, we’re going to be launching American astronauts on American rockets from American soil again for the first time since the retirement of the space shuttles back in 2011,’ said NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine.
This image shows people standing near the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, topped by a Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft that is due to make its first uncrewed flight to the ISS
A giant Atlas V rocket will take off shortly before sunrise from the famed Cape Canaveral on Florida’s coastline, where all US crewed flights are launched
‘It’s been eight and a half years, far too long, in my opinion,’ said Boeing astronaut Chris Ferguson, who commanded the last Shuttle mission in 2011 and is set to be on Starliner’s first crewed mission.
‘But here we are right on the threshold of getting ready to do it, he added.
The developments are independent of the Artemis program to return to the Moon by 2024, which will use a spaceship built for longer journeys – Lockheed Martin’s Orion.
While Starliner is designed to fly autonomously, astronauts are trained to step in for almost any emergency situation, according to NASA.
The Johnson Space Center in Houston is equipped with Starliner simulators and trainers – including the Boeing Mission Simulator, which looks, feels and operates just like the Starliner itself.
These have allowed astronauts due to fly on board the Starliner to prepare for any situation that may arise during their missions.
Boeing’s first Starliner spacecraft sits on top of a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket that will fly an unpiloted Orbital Test Flight to the International Space Station
Starliner spacecraft mission
About 25 hours after leaving Earth Starliner will dock autonomously with the space station, 250 miles (400 kilometers) above sea level.
Its return to the Earth, in the southwest US, is set for December 28.
NASA has committed to pay a total of $8 billion to the two companies, who in return need to deliver six trips carrying four astronauts each time, up until 2024.
A recent report by NASA’s inspector general said the cost per astronaut comes to about $90 million for Boeing, against $55 million for SpaceX, while the US currently pays Russia more than $80 million for the same.
But both Bridenstine and Boeing contest the numbers, which were calculated by taking the total sums paid by the space agency to each company and divided by the number of missions and astronauts.
SpaceX already carried out its own successful uncrewed mission to the International Space Station in March
SpaceX has the benefit of receiving billions of dollars in earlier contracts to develop the Dragon’s first version, for cargo, which was modified to make the crew version.
Mr Bridenstine expressed his confidence in Boeing after its 737 Max debacle.
‘I would also say that if you look at Boeing as an institution, the people that develop spacecraft are not the same people that develop aircraft,’ he said.
The test flight of Boeing’s Starliner capsule is an important step towards the future of space exploration, according to the UK Space Agency.
About 25 hours after leaving Earth Starliner will dock autonomously with the space station, 250 miles (400 kilometers) above sea level
“It is important to get these two spacecraft flying next year, so we can keep the space station with crews of six and going up to seven people in the next few years’, said Libby Jackson, human exploration programme manager at the UK agency.
At the ESA ministerial meeting in November the UK pledged £180 million towards space exploration.
British Astronaut Tim Peake is expected to return to the International Space Station by 2024, the European Space Agency confirmed.
WHO WAS ROSIE THE RIVETER?
Rosie the Riveter is a cultural icon of World War II, representing the women who worked in factories and shipyards – many of whom produced munitions and war supplies.
Beginning in 1942, as an increasing number of American men were recruited for the war effort, women were needed to fill their positions in factories.
The U.S. Office of the War produced a variety of materials designed to convince women to enter into war production jobs as part of their patriotic duty.
Rosie the Riveter was part of this campaign and became the symbol of women in the workforce during World War II.
The image was created by the American artist J. Howard Miller in 1942, but it was titled ‘We Can Do It!’ and had no association with anyone named Rosie.
It gained the name Rosie in 1943, following the release of the song ‘Rosie the Riveter,’ by Redd Evans and John Jacob Loeb.
This song touts the patriotic qualities of the mythical female war employee who defends America by working on the home front.
Rosie the Riveter is recognised today as a symbol for women in the workforce and for women’s independence.