Boeing Starliner spaceship off-course on inaugural space mission
Dec 20, 2019, 7:17 AM | Updated: 9:40 am
The launch of Boeing's Starliner. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)
(AP Photo/Terry Renna)
Ahead of an unscheduled news conference, NASA Director Jim Bridenstine said the first test of the Boeing Starliner will not complete its mission.
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He notes too much fuel has been burned, stopping it from it’s goal of reaching the International Space Station. It’s unclear if the ship can return to earth.
KIRO 7 TV is monitoring the situation. The test flight is unmanned. Watch the news conference here.
Within an hour of its initial launch, word began to come in that the Boeing-made Starliner didn’t get into the proper orbit to connect with the International Space Station.
This is a crucial test for the company which was hoping to connect with the space station early Saturday morning – the trip was supposed to be an opportunity to catch up with SpaceX, NASA’s other option for commercial flights to space.
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The initial launch was considered “flawless” by experts, but the issues add questions for the company that was hoping to launch astronauts into space by summer.
NASA is trying to hand over deliveries to the space station to private companies so it can focus future missions on reaching Mars.
