Boeing's Starliner astronaut capsule goes off course due to error in timer

The Starliner capsule build by Boeing failed to enter the orbit of the International Space Station on Friday, informed the United States space agency NASA. This comes as an automated timer error prevented the spacecraft from reaching the orbit after a successful launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida. This was an important test for Boeing as they are competing with SpaceX to revive NASA's human spaceflight capabilities. The unmanned test flight to the space station has already been carried out by SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule in March. 

Un-crewed test flight

This test flight was supposed to be uncrewed, meaning that there were no humans on board, but instead, there was a dummy named Rosie. Rosie is fitted with state of the art sensors that were supposed to monitor conditions like G-force during the flight so as understand the condition that her first crew will experience. This test flight was also supposed to determine when exactly the Starliner will make its historic first flight next year. Boeing was working closely with scientists at NASA to review the data from the mission so that both the authorities could ok the spacecraft for crewed flight.

Read: Boeing launches Starliner spacecraft on its final test flight

NASA spokesperson Jim Bridenstine, before the mission failure, said that if everything goes okay then it is expected that the Starliner will be ready in the former half of 2020. Also, competing with NASA's Starliner is SpaceX, which is a company started by billionaire Elon Musk. Spac X already performed it test flight earlier this year but it still needs to test its emergency abort systems before it can be ready for a crewed flight.

Read: Boeing tests astronaut capsule on a trip to International Space Station

Funds provided to Boeing and SpaceX

Boeing along with SpaceX was provided with $4.2 billion and $2.5 billion in 2014 respectively to develop separate capsule systems capable of ferrying astronauts to the space station from American soil for the first time since the US Space Shuttle was retired from service in 2011. The NASA had initially expected its first crewed flights on Starliner and SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule in late 2017. Yet a slew of design and safety concerns for both vehicles have led to schedule delays.

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Both the companies are now scheduled to launch into space by the mid-2020. The starliner was supposed to stay at least a week at the International Space Station before undocking and beginning its return to Earth early on December 28. It was equipped with three parachutes to slow its descent to the desert surface of White Sands, New Mexico, Boeing said. 

(With Agency Inputs)

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