Boeing is preparing to launch a NASA crew into space
Boeing’s Starliner, which will be carrying two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station, will be launched on May 6 in a joint launch with NASA. The Starliner will be crewed by NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who will head to the International Space Station. Boeing has received $4.2 billion for Starliner and was the first company to partner with NASA.
How to watch a launch
Boeing and NASA have launched a test flight of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which is set to begin astronauts’ first flights to and from the International Space Station. The launch was postponed last year after Boeing discovered adhesive tape used on the spacecraft was flammable. The test flight will be the first time Starliner will travel with people on board.
A recent lawsuit is against a Boeing parts supplier
The US Senate has requested the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to provide records from its oversight of Boeing and a key parts supplier, Spirit AeroSystems, in connection with an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 aircraft blowout. This comes after a quality-control inspector working at a Spirit AeroSystems plant reported finding an “excessive amount of defects” at a plant in Kansas.
The windows on the plane blow out on the flight from Oregon
Boeing asked the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for a safety exemption for its 737 MAX 9 aircraft in order to expedite certification process, The Seattle Times reported. This comes after the first US commercial flight of the Boeing 737 MAX 9 took place in December 2020 and a window and piece of the fuselage on one such plane blew out in midair.