Boeing's New Spaceship 'Starliner' Successfully Completes First Crewed Flight... Headed to the ISS

Boeing, the American aerospace company, successfully launched its new spacecraft, 'Starliner', from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on June 5th (KST). The Starliner successfully separated from the rocket after launch. Starliner is now heading towards the International Space Station (ISS) and is scheduled to dock with the ISS on June 7th (KST).

This launch marks the first crewed flight of the Starliner, carrying two NASA astronauts. Developed under NASA's Commercial Crew Program, Starliner aims to transport astronauts to the ISS. Starliner has already successfully completed unmanned test flights to dock with the ISS in 2019 and 2022. However, due to technical issues, the crewed flight was postponed multiple times.

This flight is a crucial test to demonstrate the technical reliability of the Starliner. The Starliner is expected to be used as a stable means of transporting astronauts to and from the ISS. It is also anticipated to play a significant role in the commercial space travel sector in the future.

However, the development process of the Starliner has not been smooth. In 2019, a software error caused a failure to dock with the ISS, and in 2022, a rocket issue led to the postponement of the launch. Furthermore, Boeing reportedly incurred a loss of $1.4 billion (approximately 220 billion yen) due to multiple delays and technical problems during the development of the Starliner.

The success of this crewed flight is of great significance for Boeing. Boeing aims to leverage this success to play a more vital role in the space industry and establish itself as a leading company in the era of space travel.