Boeing and SpaceX are among the two companies that are working to bring the ability to put astronauts into space back to America. The Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft that will someday carry humans into orbit and beyond has passed another milestone on its path towards its first flight.
Boeing aims to have the 737 MAX back in the air from January 2020, with the troubled jet expected to resume deliveries from December of this year. The 737 MAX was grounded earlier in 2019 after two separate crashes, one in October 2018 and another in March 2019, which together caused a total of 346 deaths.
Earlier this week, NASA and Boeing successfully tested the private space company's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft during a pad abort test, which was intended to make sure the spacecraft's systems would function properly in the event of an emergency during launch. The test was declared a success, but the event wasn't perfect: one of the three parachutes that lowered the capsule failed to deploy, leaving only two to save the spacecraft.
Today in Houston, Texas, Boeing announced that they'd officially submitted a proposal to NASA as part of the Artemis space program. The Boeing submission today was for an integrated Human Lander System (HLS) that'll bring astronauts to our Earth's moon, then back up again to lunar orbit. Boeing's proposal emphasized a "Fewest Steps to the Moon" approach with NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) Block 1B.
Boeing aced the crew escape test of its Starliner spacecraft this morning, with the pod earmarked to eventually take astronauts to the International Space Station and beyond demonstrating NASA's vital safety system. The test is designed to simulate a launch pad emergency, shifting the Starliner away from the Atlas V launch rocket to keep the human occupants inside safe.
On Monday, NASA and Boeing plan to conduct the Pad Abort Test with the CST-100 Starliner, the spacecraft that will eventually carry humans into space. The vessel is being constructed under NASA's Commercial Crew program; this test is designed to make sure that Startliner's systems will function properly both together and separately.
Airstream, the American company best known for its iconic silver bullet-shaped travel trailer, has unveiled its new Astrovan II, a shuttle that will be used to transport Boeing astronauts. The shuttle is a modified version of the company's Atlas Touring Coach, offering a range of around 400 miles alongside the tagline, 'Your ride is here.'
SpaceX's reusable rockets may have the lion's share of attention and media buzz but the US Air Force has also something to boast that is both closer to home but also more daring. The Boeing-made X-37B spacecraft, or more accurately spaceplane' has just landed at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Sunday, October 27 at 3:51 a.m. Not only is this the vehicle's third successful landing, it is also the longest time an X-37B has flown in orbit, finally crossing the two-year threshold.
NASA has inked a rocket deal with Boeing that will see the company supply up to ten of the huge SLS rockets the American space agency will use for its Artemis missions. The deal space exploration rocket is earmarked for use initially for Moon missions, but if all goes to plan will be used for manned missions to Mars and beyond.
Today Porsche and Boeing entered into a partnership for the future of urban air mobility and "the extension of urban traffic into airspace." Sort of like Back to the Future 2, or The Fifth Element, or Blade Runner - or any number of other sci-fi stories - this partnership is about the "Premium Urban Air Mobility Market."
The folks at Virgin Galactic announced this morning that they'd entered into a "strategic partnership" with Boeing. This is the "latest investment by Boeing HorizonX Ventures organization" and was announced to the tune of $20 million. They've suggested that this is a partnership that'll allow them to "work together to broaden commercial space access and transform global travel technologies."
In August 2018, Boeing was awarded an $805 million contract from the U.S. Navy for the development of an 'unmanned aerial refueler.' The resulting MQ-25 autonomous refueler drone has successfully completed its first test flight, according to Boeing, which plans to produce four of these aircraft for the U.S. Navy. The test included an autonomous takeoff and flight.