On Friday May 20th, 2022, NASA's new spacecraft called Starliner, succesfully docked with the ISS (International Space Station). The capsule was unmanned as part of a test flight, before crewed flights begin. The new vehicle, which is designed and built by Boeing, made this flight after its first unsuccessful attempt back in 2019. The new vehicle also had a flawless launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida on Thursday May 19th at 6:54 pm, aboard a United Launch Aliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket.
While the launch was successful, there were main thruster and cooling system issues that occurred just after orbit, neither prevented the Starliner from docking with the ISS. The capsule carried with it food and supplies for the astronauts aboard the space staion. Starliner is shceduled to remain docked at the ISS for four to five days. After which, it wil return to Earth and land in the New Mexico desert. If the landing is successful, the possibility of crewed missions could begin in the fall of 2022.
