Starliner successfully entered orbit

The launch was made in an unmanned mode using an Atlas V launch vehicle from the 41st launch complex of the Space Center. Kennedy at Cape Canaveral in Florida on May 19 at 18:54 US East Coast time (May 20 at 01:54 Moscow time). Note that the first stage of the Atlas V rocket used the Russian RD-180 engine, manufactured by scientific development and production center Energomash.

Rosie's dummy was on board the ship - this is her second flight, in 2019 she flew the Starliner during its tests.

A day later, the ship should dock with the Harmony module on the US segment of the ISS. It will deliver over 360 kg of materials to the station.

It's worth that technical problems prevented the launch of the second OFT-2 test mission to the ISS in August 2021. Specialists discovered problems in the operation of 13 valves of the service module's low-thrust engines.

Earlier it became known that Russia is building a ship for space tourists. The Soyuz for a flight to the International Space Station will be finalized so that only one professional cosmonaut can fly it, and not a crew of a commander and two flight engineers, said Sergey Krikalev, executive director of Roscosmos.