KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — We now have a new launch date for the second Starliner uncrewed test flight this summer from Kennedy Space Center.
What You Need To Know
- New date for uncrewed Starliner test flight is Friday, July 30
- Launch was originally expected in March or April
- Boeing says it's completed recommended actions by NASA after December 2019 1st launch
NASA and Boeing originally planned a March, then April test launch for Starliner. The flight is now being targeted for Friday, July 30 at 2:53 p.m.
The decision was made after Boeing and NASA flew a mission simulation, which showed the spacecraft successfully docking with the International Space Station, and a bull's-eye landing.
The second test flight was delayed after there were issues with the December 2019 first test flight, where the spacecraft went into the wrong orbit and missed its rendezvous with the ISS. After months of investigation, NASA determined there was a timer issue and a separate software issue that incorrectly sent signals to a propulsion controller. It was an issue investigators said should have or could have been flagged by Boeing, and it could have led to "risk of spacecraft loss."
A third issue was an intermittent space-to-ground communications problem that hindered the ability to control the spacecraft.
The Boeing Starliner will fly aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. If all goes well with the launch on July 30, the spacecraft will dock with the ISS the evening of Saturday, July 31.
Boeing, meanwhile, will continue to prepare for the next big Starliner test: a crewed flight.
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