Boeing's Starliner spacecraft just met its rocket for NASA test launch July 30 - Space.com

The mission, called Orbital Flight Test 2 (OFT-2), will be Boeing's second attempt at launching its new astronaut taxi to the International Space Station.

The CST-100 Starliner spacecraft was stacked atop its United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on July 17 at Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, marking a key milestone ahead of the mission's launch next week.

Boeing shared a video of the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft being rolled out of the Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida around 4:00 a.m.

The spacecraft was driven 10 miles (16 kilometers) to United Launch Alliance's Vertical Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, where it was hoisted and mated to its Atlas V rocket.

The OFT-2 mission will be Boeing's second uncrewed test flight, designed to evaluate the capabilities of its Starliner spacecraft, including launch, docking, atmospheric re-entry and a desert landing in the western U.S!

The mission is meant to demonstrate that Starliner is ready to transport NASA astronauts to and from the space station, according to the statement.

However, the spacecraft did not reach the space station as planned due to a series of technical problems.

The capsule, which will carry supplies and test equipment as well as a flight dummy dubbed Rosie the Rocketeer to simulate future crewed missions, should dock with the space station the next day. .