Covering All Things Florida
As Boeing, NASA, and United Launch Alliance (ULA) prepare for a third launch attempt of the Boeing Starliner set for June 5th, a lesser-known yet interesting fact has emerged. While the Starliner will be going to the ISS, it won’t be ULA’s Atlas/Centaur booster that takes it all the way there or even to low-earth orbit (LEO).
NASA Prepares for Third Attempt to Launch Boeing Crewed Flight Test
NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test mission teams are gearing up for another Starliner launch attempt, currently scheduled for 10:52 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, June 5. With a faulty ground equipment power supply repaired, the launch will take place from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This mission, lasting approximately one week, will see NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Suni Williams aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft heading to the International Space Station (ISS).
The Boeing Starliner just can’t seem to get off of the pad. The much-publicized second launch attempt of CFT-100 was scrubbed on June 1st when a computer detected an anomaly with less than four minutes left in the countdown. The mission represents Starliner’s first crewed flight test.
After three weeks of analysis and discussion between Boeing, NASA, and United Launch Alliance following the May 6, 2024 scrub, Boeing’s long road to lofting crew aboard Starliner to low-Earth orbit took a step towards launching this morning when it was moved to its launch pad. Liftoff of Atlas V and Starliner is scheduled for 12:25 PM EDT, Saturday, June 1st, from Space Launch Complex 41.
A lightning strike from a severe thunderstorm started a conflagration in Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge this afternoon. It is north of Kennedy Space Center, and is currently no threat to property or human endeavor — in other words, the facilities at Kennedy Space Center.
In a media release this evening, NASA announced June 1st at 12:25 PM as the next targeted date for a Starliner launch attempt.
Mission managers from NASA, Boeing, and ULA (United Launch Alliance) continue to evaluate a path forward toward launching the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test to the International Space Station. The teams are now working toward a launch opportunity at 12:25 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 1, with additional opportunities on Sunday, June 2, Wednesday, June 5, and Thursday, June 6.
After completing a required environmental review, the US Space Force will permanently base its Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM) at Patrick Space Force Base.
Less than a month ago, Starliner seemed like it was ready to go. With a launch date for the first crewed flight test set for May 6th, NASA officials expressed confidence that Starliner was “go for launch”. Following a Flight Readiness Review held just days before the May 6th launch date, NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free said he was satisfied that the Readiness Review was thorough, and that Starliner, Atlas V and ISS were prepared properly for the test flight.
One does not have to work in the space industry to know that the Eastern Range is a very busy place these days. Less than ten years ago, the gaps between rocket launches were often measured in weeks or months. For example, in 2016, there were 23 launches from the Space Coast, and only 16 in 2017.
Chalk one up for Nikon.
My photographer colleagues at the Kennedy Space Center have an ongoing friendly camera rivalry. Mostly it’s Canon versus Nikon, as we compare the latest camera gear and features while covering rocket launches, inspections of the latest satellites, and press conferences with NASA and other space company leaders. So the Nikon users got a pleasant surprise
In perhaps the most vivid launch for spectators so far in 2024, SpaceX launched another twenty-three Starlink Mini V2 satellites to orbit after successfully launching the Starlink 6-59 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station this evening.
Liftoff was at 08:32 PM EDT. Around 8.3 minutes after liftoff, the first-stage booster used for the mission, tail number B1062, touched down safely on ASDS ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’, stationed downrange in the Atlantic Ocean. After landing, B1062 has now flown to space for a record-setting twenty-one times.
NASA, Boeing, and United Launch Alliance (ULA) have announced yet another delay in the launch of the Boeing Crew Flight Test to allow additional time for comprehensive spacecraft closeout processes and “flight rationale assessments.” The launch, which aims to send NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station (ISS), is now targeted for no earlier than 3:09 p.m. EDT on Saturday, May 25.
