Jane Edwards
The Boeing-built CST-100 Starliner spacecraft completed its docking to the International Space Station Friday as part of the Orbital Flight Test-2 mission under a partnership with NASA.
The reusable spacecraft reached the ISS a day after it launched atop a United Launch Alliance-made Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, Boeing said Friday.
“Today’s successful docking of the Starliner is another important step in this rehearsal for sending astronauts into orbit safely and reliably,” said Ted Colbert, president and CEO of Boeing’s defense, space and security business.
Starliner performed a series of maneuvers to get closer to the ISS after being guided by Houston-based ground controllers and the spacecraft’s autonomous systems. The spacecraft used solar arrays on the service module to recharge its batteries after connecting to the Boeing-built docking port on the space station.
Jim Chilton, senior vice president of Boeing’s space and launch business and a previous Wash100 awardee, said Starliner has demonstrated its autonomous rendezvous and docking capability and the company is honored to be part of the commercial spacecraft fleet designed to perform transportation services to the ISS for NASA.
The orbiting laboratory’s crew will carry out an initial cabin tour of Starliner and conduct periodic system checkouts. Ground controllers will assess data collected during the spacecraft’s flight.
