Global Citizenship: Comparing and Contrasting the U.S. and China PCB Industries
Standard of Excellence: Finding and Hiring the Right Candidates for Engineering Positions
Global Sourcing Spotlight: 10 Rules of the Game
Boeing’s Starliner Spacecraft Completes Successful Docking to Space Station
May 23, 2022 | BoeingEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft made its first connection to the International Space Station at 7:28 p.m. Central Time (0028 UTC) to complete a primary goal of the program’s Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2). With no astronauts on board, Starliner’s autonomous systems and ground controllers in Houston guided the vehicle through a carefully choreographed series of maneuvers to steadily bring the Starliner closer to the orbiting laboratory before docking. Astronauts aboard the space station monitored Starliner throughout the flight and at times commanded the spacecraft to verify control capabilities.
“Today’s successful docking of the Starliner is another important step in this rehearsal for sending astronauts into orbit safely and reliably,” said Boeing Defense, Space & Security President and CEO Ted Colbert.
Launching atop a human-rated United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on May 19, 2022, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, Starliner spent its first hours in space performing a series of system demonstrations allowing mission managers to verify the spacecraft was healthy and able to maneuver safely. After docking, the Starliner recharged its batteries using solar arrays located on the service module.
After astronauts aboard the station declared “Tally-ho, Starliner,” the vehicle connected to a Boeing-built docking port on the International Space Station.
“Starliner has proven safe, autonomous rendezvous and docking capability,” said Jim Chilton, senior vice president, Boeing Space and Launch. “We’re honored to join the fleet of commercial spacecraft capable of conducting transportation services to the space station for NASA.”
Equipped with a fully functional life support system, as well as all of the other critical systems to support humans, the spacecraft and mission are designed to give Boeing and NASA enough data to certify the spacecraft for long-duration crewed missions to the International Space Station.
During the Starliner’s docked time on orbit, the crew of the station will float inside the spacecraft, conduct an initial cabin tour, and periodically perform system checkouts while ground controllers evaluate data gathered during its flight.
Share on:
Suggested Items
Altus Sees Growing Interest for Laser Depanelling Solutions
11/04/2024 | Altus GroupAltus Group, a leading distributor of capital equipment in the UK and Ireland, has seen an increasing interest in laser depaneling systems from LPKF in 2024.
November 2024 SMT007 Magazine: The Rise of Data
11/04/2024 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamAnalytics is a given in this industry, but the threshold is changing. If you think you're too small to invest in analytics, you may need to reconsider. So how do you do analytics better? What are the new tools, and how do you get started?
ViTrox Americas Doubles Capacity at Demo Center in Hutto, Texas
11/01/2024 | ViTroxViTrox Americas Inc. is proud to announce the expansion of the ViTrox Demo Center in Hutto, Texas. The company has doubled its capacity to meet growing customer demand.
Poland’s Purchase of Sniper Advanced Targeting Pods To Add Combat-Proven Capability, Interoperability for New FA-50 Fighters
11/01/2024 | Lockheed MartinLockheed Martin will deliver Sniper Advanced Targeting Pods (ATP) to Poland in a sale the U.S. State Department said will improve the security of a NATO ally that is a “force for political stability.”
Coastal RF Systems Joins StratEdge’s Network as Manufacturer’s Representative for Southern California
10/31/2024 | StratEdgeStratEdge Corporation, a leader in high-performance semiconductor packaging solutions, has appointed Coastal RF Systems as its exclusive Manufacturer's Representative for Southern California.