A GLITCH KEPT THE STARLINER FROM REACHING THE ISS IN 2019, IT SITS ATOP ONE OF THE MOST
RELIABLE ROCKET EVER FLOWN THE
U ATLAS 5.
>> NEWS SIX’S JAMES SPARVERO
IS WATCHING THE COUNTDOWN
TONIGHT. HE IS LIVE AT KENNEDY
SPACE CENTER JUST A COUPLE OF
MILES FROM THE LAUNCH PAD.
HOW’S IT GOING OUT THERE?
JAMES?
>> IT’S REALLY STARTING TO
FEEL THE SAME GENDER THAT THIS
MIGHT FINALLY BE THE NIGHT
THAT BOEING GETS ITS SPACE
PROGRAM BACK ON TRACK. IT’S
BEEN A REALLY CLEAN COUNTDOWN
UP TO THIS POINT. NO ISSUES
REPORTED FROM EITHER UNITED
LAUNCH ALLIANCE WITH THIS
ATLAS. 5 ROCKET COMPLEX. 41 OR
BOEING WITH ITS STARLINER
CAPSULE. THE TROUBLED
STARLINER CAPSULE, WHICH WE’VE
DOCUMENTED SINCE DECEMBER 2019
HAS NOW HAD ABOUT 2 AND A HALF
YEARS OF MAJOR DELAYS AND
SETBACKS COSTING BOEING THE
AEROSPACE GIANT ITSELF. ABOUT
600 MILLION DOLLARS AS IT
FALLS ABOUT 2 YEARS BEHIND THE
SPACEX COMMERCIAL CREW PROGRAM
AND THE DRAGON CAPSULE WHICH
HAVE NOW SET 5 ASTRONAUT CREWS
TO THE SPACE STATION. HERE WE
ARE WITH STARLINER NOW POISED
TO GO TO THE SPACE STATION,
COMPLETE. FINALLY ITS ORBITAL
FLIGHT TEST. TECHNICALLY THEY
CALL IT THE SECOND ATTEMPT OF
THE ORBITAL FLIGHT TEST IS
ACTUALLY THE 3RD TIME WE’VE
SEEN IT ON THE LAUNCH PAD
ITSELF. AND NOW WE ARE T -1
MINUTE. IT DIDN’T MAKE IT THIS
FAR IN THE COUNTDOWN. DURING
THE SECOND ATTEMPT LAST
SUMMER. THAT’S CROWD WAS MUCH
EARLIER DURING A PRE-LAUNCH.
BUT KEEP IN MIND IN 2019 WHEN
THE MISSION WAS SCRUBBED IN
FLIGHT, IT WAS ABOUT A HALF
HOUR INTO FLIGHT. WE WATCHED A
BEAUTIFUL PICTURE. PERFECT
LAUNCH. THEN. SO WE HAVE TO
PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE
ENTIRE FLIGHT TO THE STATION
WITH TAKES, WHICH TAKES ABOUT
20 HOURS. BUT NOW AS WE
APPROACH WITHIN T -30 SECONDS,
LET’S LISTEN IN.
>> 30 30 SECONDS CENTER LATE
PRESIDENT. FRESHMAN FROM
FLIGHT. 25 THAT IS CHECKED.
>> SO AT GO CENTE R GO
STARLINER.
>> ALL SYSTEMS ARE GO FOR
LIFTOFF. GO STARLINER. 6, 5.
AND LIFTOFF.
>> THERE IS HEADED BACK TO
SPACE ON THE SHOULDERS ABOUT
THIS. POWERED BY WORK WORKS
DEDICATED TO THAT SUCCESS.
>> WE HAVE CONFIRMATION ♪ >> OF A GOOD AT THE TIME.
>> AND THE FACT HE
♪
>> DIDN’T THROW PROGRAM
ALREADY TO MEET PENTAGON
OFFICIAL SHOULD THIS IS THE
FIRST PLAN DOWN FROM THAT LIST
PREPARATION FOR MAX.
♪
>> RIGHT NOW REPORT SAID
♪
>> THE HIGHEST ONLINE OR AT
THINKS TURN
♪
>> MACH ONE ELLIS 5 STARLINER
NOW SUPERSONIC. PEOPLE NOT
PROBABLY HAPPEN THAT NEXT
ABOUT 24 CAN START MINERS. 2
SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS WILL RUN
OUT OF FUEL AND BURN
WE HAVE BURNED BOTH THE SERB EAST. >> GOOD CREW MODULE FOR THE
LINK CONNECTION OR ANYBODY IS
TRAVELING BACK UP TO FULL
THRUST. YOU KNOW, WE PASS A
SOLID ROCK. MISTER BERNANKE
WILL SOON SEE THOSE 2 SOLID
ROCKET BOOSTERS SEPARATE FROM
THE VEHICLE.
THE VEHICLE. THAT WAS 5 NOW WEIGHS JUST ONE HALF OF WHAT IT DID AT LAUNCH BURNING
PROPELLANT AT A RATE OF 2800
POUNDS PER SECOND. AND WE HAVE
POUNDS PER SECOND. AND WE HAVE thinkorswim® by TD Ameritrade INDICATION OF MISTER ATLAS
CONTINUES TO ASCEND USING
SULLY THE ONE PARTY, ONE, 80
ENGINE. ABOUT 2 MINUTES.
REALLY SEA LEVEL. OR ANYBODY’S
REALLY SEA LEVEL. OR ANYBODY’S thinkorswim® by TD Ameritrade TRAVELING DOWN SLIGHTLY AS
EXPECTED. RESPONSE WAS GOOD.
TEAMS ARE ON THE GROUND
CONFIRMING STARLINER HAS A
GOOD TRAJECTORY. 2 MINUTES AND
55 SECONDS IN TODAY’S FLIGHT.
FLYING IN AND OUT TO THE 56
KILOMETERS. OUR NEXT DOWN WILL
thinkorswim® by TD Ameritrade BE TO CONTROL ACCELERATION
FORCES, A LIMIT FORCES ON THE
CRUCIBLE BELOW 40’S THAT IS
SAFE FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF
TIME. ONE MINUTE REMAINING IN
THIS BURN ONE MINUTE GO. OUR
TEAM NOW THREATENING TO
MAINTAIN 3.5 G ACCELERATION OF
THE VEHICLE.
>> STARLINER FLYING OFF THE
EAST COAST. THIS ALTITUDE OF
80 KILOMETERS. NOW. MEETING AT
A RATE OF 1187 MILES PER HOUR.
A RATE OF 1187 MILES PER HOUR. thinkorswim® by TD Ameritrade >> IT’S JUST PASSING NORTH
CAROLINA AND VIRGINIA OFF THE
NORTHEASTERN SEABOARD. FOR
THOSE OF YOU WATCHING ALONG
THE COASTLINE, YOU MIGHT BE
ABLE TO SEE THIS LAUNCH.
>> ALL RIGHT. ONCE AGAIN, IT LOOKS LIKE A PICTURE, PERFECT LAUNCH FROM THE SPACE COAST.
THE STARLINER ABOARD AN ATLAS
5 ROCKET. BUT AS JAMES
SPARVERO JUST REPORTED MOMENTS
AGO DURING THE FIRST TEST
LAUNCH. IT WAS 31 MINUTES INTO
THE FLIGHT TIME BEFORE THEY
LOST COMMUNICATION WITH THE
STARLINER. AND UNFORTUNATELY
IT TURNED INTO A MISHAP. SO
HOPEFULLY THAT WILL BE
DIFFERENT THIS TIME AROUND.
WELL, SO FAR, SO GOOD. BUT
AGAIN, WE HAVE TO KEEP OUR
FINGERS CROSSED AND WE WON’T
KNOW ANYTHING UNTIL PROBABLY
ABOUT 20 OR 30 MINUTES FROM
NOW. AND JUST BECAUSE IT LOOKS
LIKE A SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH DOES
NOT MEAN THAT EVERYTHING IS
GOING TO GO AS PLANNED. AND I
KNOW THE FOLKS WITH STARLINER.
>> ARE WATCHING THIS SO
CLOSELY BECAUSE IF THIS GOES
REALLY WELL AND THE WAY IT IS
PLANNED, THE NEXT MISSION WILL
BE A CREWED MISSION, ALTHOUGH
IT WILL STILL BE A TEST
MISSION IF THEY WILL SEND
PEOPLE ON BOARD. THE GOOD
THING ABOUT ALL OF THIS BEING
SO AUTONOMY US RIGHT NOW IS
THAT NORMALLY BACK IN THE DAY
BEFORE ALL THIS TECHNOLOGY
CAME ABOUT, YOU WOULD HAVE
PEOPLE ON THE RIGHT AND IF
THERE WAS A MISHAP OR
SOMETHING TERRIBLE HAPPENED,
THEN YOU WOULD LOSE THOSE
PEOPLE. SO THANK GOODNESS YOU
CAN DO HONESTLY. NOW. ALL
RIGHT. THEY WERE JUST MINUTES
AWAY FROM ON MIKKO MAIN ENGINE
CUT OFF. WE SHOULD HAVE GONE
THROUGH THAT RIGHT NOW. OK,
IT’S JUST HAPPENING. LET’S
CHECK BACK IN WITH NEWS SIX’S
JAMES SPARVERO. HE IS LIVE AT
THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER. YOU
HAVE ONE OF THE BEST VIEWS
OUT. WE WISH WE WERE OUT THERE
WITH YOU, JAMES.
>> ONE OF THE BEST VIEWS TO
WATCH THE ATLAS. 5 ROCKET TO
ITS FAMOUS FOR LADIES LIVING
UP TO ITS REPUTATION. NEVER A
LAUNCH FAILURE. THIS BEING THE
93RD FLIGHT OF THE ATLAS 5
ROCKET. IT WAS SPECTACULAR AS
EXPECTED. THE SECOND OF THOSE
FLIGHTS WITH THE STARLINER
CAPSULE. AND YES, WE HAVE TO
PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO WHERE
THE MISSION GOES FROM HERE.
>> BECAUSE IT WAS JUST 30 OR
31 MINUTES WHEN STARLINER
ENCOUNTERED ITS TIMING ISSUE
WITH ITS MISSION ELAPSED TIMER
BACK IN DECEMBER 2019, A
COMMUNICATIONS BLACKOUT
FOLLOWED THAT AND STARLINER
HAD RETURN HOME. BUT SO FAR,
SO GOOD AS THE SPACESHIP IS ON
A 20 HOUR MISSION TO
RENDEZVOUS WITH THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
PROVING TO NASA CAN FERRY
ASTRONAUTS TO THE SPACE
STATION JUST LIKE SPACEX HAS
BEEN DOING FOR THE PAST 2
YEARS. WE’RE GOING TO WATCH
CLOSELY. WE CERTAINLY ARE.
AND, YOU KNOW, IS THE FIRST
ONE TOOK OFF THE SECOND ONE
THAT SECOND TEST FLIGHT THEY
HAD.
>> WAS 2021. IT WAS AUGUST OF
2021. IT NEVER LEFT THE LAUNCH
PAD BECAUSE THEY DID SOME
SYSTEMS CHECKS. AND IF THINGS
DIDN’T LOOK RIGHT, THEY
WEREN’T GOING TO LAUNCH. AND
THERE WAS SOMETHING IN THE
VALLEY THEY DIDN’T LIKE. YEAH.
SO NACHO. OKAY. 3RD ATTEMPT