Tag: Commercial Crew
-
Starliner OFT-2 launch makes it to orbit, heading to ISS
Nine months after valve issues caused its previous launch attempt to be scrubbed, Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft has launched on its Orbital Flight Test 2 mission atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket Thursday. OFT-2 departed Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral at 6:54:36 p.m. EDT (22:54 UTC), bound for the International Space Station…
-
Boeing, NASA teams give Starliner final go for OFT-2 mission
NASA, Boeing, and ULA teams, along with international partners, have finished the agency Flight Readiness Review (FRR) ahead of the Orbital Flight Test 2 (OFT-2) for Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. Following the valve issues that scrubbed OFT-2’s launch attempt in August of 2021 and the communication and software issues that caused Boeing’s first OFT mission to…
-
Crew Dragon Freedom makes its first docking at the ISS on the Crew-4 mission
After a successful launch, Crew Dragon C212 Freedom docked to the International Space Station (ISS) at 23:37 UTC Wednesday (7:37 pm EDT on Wednesday). Flying the SpaceX Crew-4 mission, Dragon was launched on Wednesday and took a little over 16 hours to rendezvous with the orbiting laboratory. Crew-4, also known as United States Crew Vehicle…
-
Crew Dragon Endurance delivers Crew-3 to International Space Station
Crew Dragon Endurance docked to the International Space Station (ISS) at 6:32 PM EST (23:32 UTC) following 22 hours of free flight after launching from the Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, delivering the Crew-3 contingent to the station. The astronauts of Crew-3 consist of Raja Chari (Commander), Thomas Marshburn (Pilot), and Kayla Barron (Mission Specialist 2) from…
-
SpaceX launches mostly-rookie Crew-3 mission to ISS
SpaceX and NASA have successfully launched four astronauts to the International Space Station on the Crew-3 mission. The crew took flight onboard a Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon Endurance from Kennedy Space Center’s Pad 39A Wednesday evening, November 10, at 9:03 PM EST (02:03 UTC on November 11). At the station, the four will spend…
-
Crew-2 returns to Earth after six-month stay on the ISS
NASA and SpaceX teams has completed the safe return of the Crew-2 mission from the International Space Station (ISS) with four astronauts on board. Crew Dragon Endeavour undocked from the ISS at 2:05 p.m. EST (19:05 UTC) Monday, with a splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean at 10:33 p.m. EST. Crew-2’s mission began with a launch…
-
NASA and Boeing testing valves to confirm root cause of Starliner issues
On Tuesday, a joint teleconference between NASA and Boeing officials was held on the current status of Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) after a valve anomaly prevented its launch in August. While work to confirm the root cause of the issue continues, the launch target for OFT-2 remains in the first half of 2022, with a…
-
SpaceX and NASA beginning final preparations for Crew-3 mission
With the launch just weeks away, SpaceX, NASA, and the European Space Agency (ESA) are making final preparations for the third operational Crew Dragon mission. Crew-3 will be the third long-duration mission flown by SpaceX as part of the Commercial Crew Program. The four Crew-3 astronauts will launch aboard a Crew Dragon spacecraft atop a…
-
Atlas V’s launch of Starliner OFT-2 test flight delayed
Boeing has scrubbed Tuesday’s planned launch of their Starliner spacecraft on its second uncrewed Orbital Test Flight, called OFT-2, aboard United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket. The issue at hand, according to Boeing, related to incorrect valve position indications in the propulsion system. The issues were first detected during checkouts after thunderstorms storms over launch…
-
Flight Readiness Review gives green light for Starliner OFT-2
NASA and Boeing have finished the agency Flight Readiness Review (FRR) for the second Orbital Flight Test (OFT-2) of the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft. OFT-2 will demonstrate the changes made to the Starliner spacecraft following the first OFT mission, which was conducted in December 2019. Flight Readiness Review OFT-2 is the third flight of the Boeing…