{"id":781941,"date":"2024-05-06T17:48:50","date_gmt":"2024-05-06T22:48:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=781941"},"modified":"2024-05-06T17:48:50","modified_gmt":"2024-05-06T22:48:50","slug":"boeing-starliner-to-launch-nasa-astronauts-on-first-flight-live-updates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=781941","title":{"rendered":"Boeing Starliner to Launch NASA Astronauts on First Flight: Live Updates"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"live-blog-post\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/live\/2024\/05\/06\/science\/boeing-starliner-launch#what-to-know-about-nasas-latest-ride-to-orbit\" data-source-id=\"100000009433467\">\n<div class=\"live-blog-meta css-1g3itdy\">\n<div class=\"css-yf9s2t\" data-testid=\"live-blog-byline\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"css-1ppjtba\"><span class=\"css-xtl8uk\"><time aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"css-iqvqz5\" datetime=\"2024-05-06T22:00:35.703Z\"><\/p>\n<p><span data-time=\"abs\" class=\"css-1656jku\">May 6, 2024, 6:00 p.m. ET<\/span><span data-time=\"rel\" class=\"css-xwx5dt\"\/><\/p>\n<p><\/time><span class=\"css-1dv1kvn\">May 6, 2024, 6:00 p.m. ET<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"live-blog-post-content css-h61jh5 evys1bk0\">NASA astronauts will launch to orbit in a spacecraft they\u2019ve never flown before, if all goes well in the hours ahead.<\/p>\n<p class=\"live-blog-post-content css-h61jh5 evys1bk0\">The space agency retired its space shuttles in 2011. For nine years, astronauts could get to the International Space Station only aboard Russia\u2019s Soyuz rockets. Then in May 2020, two NASA astronauts, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, flew to the I.S.S. in SpaceX\u2019s Crew Dragon. That capsule has since become the only way to get to orbit from the United States.<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-1dv1kvn\">\n<p class=\"live-blog-post-content css-h61jh5 evys1bk0\">During this time, NASA has been waiting on a second vehicle to be ready. Called Starliner, and built by the aerospace giant Boeing, it is set to launch on its first test flight with astronauts on board after years of technical setbacks and costly delays. Here\u2019s what you need to know about Monday evening\u2019s flight:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"live-blog-post-content css-1ie9vib ez3869y0\">\n<li class=\"css-1i3ul0c eoqvrfo0\">\n<p class=\"css-1il0jfh evys1bk0\">The spacecraft will lift off atop an Atlas V rocket at 10:34 p.m. Eastern time from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. NASA will start livestreaming the preparations for launch at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time. A video player where you can watch it will be provided on this webpage.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"css-1i3ul0c eoqvrfo0\">\n<p class=\"css-1il0jfh evys1bk0\">Starliner has what is known as an instantaneous launch window \u2014 it must launch on time to allow it to catch up with the International Space Station passing above. Weather is currently 95 percent favorable for an on-time launch.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"css-1i3ul0c eoqvrfo0\">\n<p class=\"css-1il0jfh evys1bk0\">The two crew members on board Starliner are Butch Wilmore, the commander, and Suni Williams, the pilot. Both are experienced NASA astronauts, with Mr. Wilmore having spent 167 days in space, and Ms. Williams 322 days there. After liftoff, they will spend about a day in orbit before docking with the space station early on Wednesday morning. They will stay for about a week, allowing for more tests of the spacecraft and its systems.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"css-1i3ul0c eoqvrfo0\">\n<p class=\"css-1il0jfh evys1bk0\">Starliner is years behind schedule, a result of work by Boeing and NASA to confirm that the spacecraft was safe to fly that stretched far longer than either had expected. Technical pitfalls included inadequate software testing, corroded propellant valves, flammable tape and a key component in parachute system that turned out to be weaker than designed. Boeing fixed the problems, enabling tonight\u2019s launch attempt.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"css-1i3ul0c eoqvrfo0\">\n<p class=\"css-1il0jfh evys1bk0\">The delays have left Boeing facing more than $1.4 billion in unexpected charges. The launch attempt comes during a tough 2024 for the aerospace giant. Just days into the year, a panel on the body of a Boeing 737 Max 9 blew off during an Alaska Airlines flight. The pilots were able to safely land the plane, and there were no major injuries, but the episode has had widespread repercussions for the company, particularly its aviation division.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"live-blog-post-content css-1smqmx3 etfikam0\">Niraj Chokshi<!-- --> contributed reporting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><button class=\"css-182hr0m\" data-testid=\"Show-More\" type=\"button\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Show more<\/button><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/live\/2024\/05\/06\/science\/boeing-starliner-launch?rand=772170\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>May 6, 2024, 6:00 p.m. ET May 6, 2024, 6:00 p.m. ET NASA astronauts will launch to orbit in a spacecraft they\u2019ve never flown before, if all goes well in&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":781942,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-781941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-york-times-space-cosmos"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/781941","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=781941"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/781941\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/781942"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=781941"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=781941"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=781941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}