NASA and Boeing Launches Starliner OFT-2 to the ISS

Launch of OFT-2 | Credit: NASA

On Thursday, May 19 at 6:54pm EDT (11:54 UTC), NASA and Boeing launched the Starliner OFT-2 uncrewed mission to the ISS atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V N22 rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 (SLC-41) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. NASA contracted two companies as part of the Commercial Crew Program to launch astronauts, SpaceX and Boeing. Boeing launched the Starliner OFT-1 mission in December 2019, but the computer had an Elapsed Time issue causing it to do its orbital insertion burn early. Due to this, Starliner didn't have enough fuel to reach the ISS. In August 2021, Boeing attempted to launch OFT-2, but due to valve issues, had to roll the Atlas V back and demate the Starliner for valve replacement. If this mission goes well, Boeing plans to launch their Crewed Test Flight in September. This will be the 57th orbital launch attempt of 2022, 150th ULA launch, and the 93rd Atlas V launch. You can watch the launch live starting at about an hour prior to launch below.