At first look, Boeing’s Starliner seems to be quite a bit just like the command module used throughout NASA’s Apollo moon missions within the Nineteen Sixties and Seventies.
This isn’t a random coincidence. The flexibility of that cone-shaped automobile to maintain astronauts protected throughout re-entry into Earth’s environment has been effectively documented.
At 15 ft in diameter, the Starliner is barely bigger than the Apollo spacecraft. The capsule and repair module — the a part of the spacecraft that gives energy and propulsion throughout flight earlier than being discarded simply earlier than touchdown — collectively stand 16.5 ft tall.
The spacecraft is massive sufficient to hold seven astronauts, however NASA missions may have a crew of 4. Boeing has the choice to promote a fifth seat to a non-public buyer who desires to tag alongside.
Every Starliner is designed for use for as much as 10 missions; Conversely, a service module burns up within the environment, and a brand new one is required for every journey.
Boeing has constructed three Starliner capsules. The primary was used solely to show the power to quickly fly astronauts to security within the occasion of an emergency on the launchpad. That capsule is not going to be used for any mission cycle.
The Starliner used for this mission beforehand flew into house through the first uncrewed check flight in 2020, which was lower quick on account of technical issues. Mission pilot Sunita Williams named the spacecraft Calypso, a nod to the analysis vessel utilized by Jacques Cousteau, a French undersea explorer.
A 3rd Starliner, nonetheless unnamed, was used for a second unannounced check in 2022 and can fly 4 astronauts to the house station for the primary operational mission scheduled for subsequent 12 months.
