Boeing will attempt a second uncrewed test flight of the company's Starliner space capsule on July 30 after a disappointing first test flight in De

Boeing plans second Starliner capsule test flight in July

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2021-06-17 09:30:03

Boeing will attempt a second uncrewed test flight of the company's Starliner space capsule on July 30 after a disappointing first test flight in December 2019, the company and NASA said Wednesday.

United Launch Alliance plans to send the capsule into space aboard an Atlas V rocket at 2:53 p.m. EDT from Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

The mission, known as Orbital Test Flight 2 or OFT-2, will attempt to prove Starliner's capability to carry astronauts to the International Space Station.

NASA and Boeing plan to dock at the space station, and the capsule would then fly back to a land-based return under parachutes in New Mexico.

The previous test flight in December 2019 failed to reach the International Space Station because of a software problem. The capsule landed successfully in New Mexico after two days in space.

NASA classified that test failure as a "high visibility close call," the lowest category NASA uses for serious mission problems. Boeing agreed to a lengthy checklist of fixes and checkouts before Starliner would fly again.