Second chance: Boeing readies crucial Starliner flight test

The stakes are high for the second Boeing Starliner flight test after it failed to dock with the ISS back in 2019, ceding ground to Elon Musk’s SpaceX Crew Dragon.

Boeing’s astronaut taxi is back in the spotlight this week as it prepares for its second test flight, and the stakes this time around are even higher for the aerospace giant and NASA. The Starliner capsule is scheduled to launch Tuesday at 1:20pm EDT (17:20 GMT) on a crucial demonstration mission bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The test had been delayed for three days due to an anomaly on the space station. If successful, the crewless test flight will mark the final step before NASA can declare the Starliner system operational, paving the way for it to ferry four NASA-sponsored crew members and critical research to the ISS.