Failed To Achieve Proper Orbit For Rendezvous With ISS

Boeing's CST-100 Starliner commercial crew vehicle was carried into orbit early Friday morning on a ULA Atlas 5 rocket, but the spacecraft experienced what Boeing called an "off-nominal insertion" and failed to reach the proper orbit for rendezvous with the International Space Station.

Boeing said in a Tweet following the launch that they have control of the spacecraft, and the guidance and control team is working to determine their next steps.

The spacecraft was reported to be in a "stable" orbit with electrical power. “Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner is not in its planned orbit. The spacecraft currently is in a stable configuration while flight controllers are troubleshooting,” NASA said in a brief statement. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine confirmed in a Tweet that "the burn needed for rendezvous with the ISS did not happen. Working the issue."

In a NASA news conference Friday morning, Bridenstine said "a lot of things went right." He explained that the issue appears to have been an error with the mission elapsed timing system. Because the automation timing was off, the spacecraft began to do burns try to maintain precise control, and by the time it was caught, there was not enough fuel left for a burn to achieve the rendezvous orbit.

Bridenstine (pictured) said that if there had been a crew aboard the spacecraft, "they would have been safe, and we very well may have been docking with the ISS."

The Starliner is in an orbit that will allow it to be brought safely back to Earth at White Sands, NM on Sunday, according to officials at the news conference.

(Images from NASA TV)

FMI: www.nasa.gov
www.boeing.com