This archive report was first published on 20 December 2019.
December 20, 2019, marked a significant milestone in NASA's quest for independence in space travel. The agency's reliance on Russian Soyuz rockets, which began after the Space Shuttle program was shut down in 2011, is set to come to an end with Boeing's Starliner mission.
The mission, which is a crucial step towards US independence in space travel, will see the Starliner spacecraft, carrying a dummy named Rosie, dock with the International Space Station (ISS) and return to Earth. Rosie, named after Rosie the Riveter, is a dummy packed with sensors to verify the voyage will be safe for future teams of humans.
Boeing's Starliner is one of two spacecraft developed by private companies, the other being SpaceX's CrewDragon, to transport astronauts to the ISS. The two companies have been awarded billions of dollars by NASA to develop "Made in the USA" solutions, with the goal of ending the US's dependence on Russian Soyuz rockets.
"By early next year, we're going to be launching American astronauts on American rockets from American soil again for the first time since the retirement of the space shuttles back in 2011," NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement.
The Starliner mission is a key test for Boeing, which has been running two years behind schedule. However, with the successful completion of final tests, approval for the mission is now pending. The spacecraft is set to launch from the Kennedy Space Center on December 28, with a total of $8 billion committed to the two companies by NASA to deliver six trips carrying four astronauts each time, up until 2024.
Despite the challenges faced by Boeing, NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine expressed his confidence in the company, saying, "I would also say that if you look at Boeing as an institution, the people that develop spacecraft are not the same people that develop aircraft."
