Boeing's Starliner to fly crucial OFT-2 test flight to space station this week at long last - Space.com

Boeing's Starliner capsule is all set to launch on the uncrewed Orbital Flight Test 2 (OFT-2) mission to the International Space Station (ISS). .

Following a May 11 flight readiness review, NASA and Boeing are targeting an instantaneous launch window of May 19 at 6:54 p.m.

Starliner's first OFT mission, in December 2019, literally fell short of expectations, failing to achieve the necessary orbit to reach the International Space Station due to software glitches.

NASA is counting on the success of OFT-2 in order to begin sending astronauts to the space station in larger numbers.

In 2014, NASA, known for an abundance of cautionary redundancy, signed contracts with both SpaceX and Boeing to design and develop vehicles to launch astronauts to the space station!

— Boeing's 1st Starliner flight test in photos.

— Boeing to launch 2nd test flight of Starliner spacecraft for NASA on May 19.

— NASA reassigns 2 astronauts from Boeing's Starliner to SpaceX's Crew Dragon.

If successful, NASA and Boeing hope to launch the capsule with its first crew before the end of 2022. .