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Starliner carrying payload docked with ISS — NASA

The docking of the spacecraft, which was developed by Boeing, was automatic and took place on 20:28 US eastern time on Friday

NEW YORK, May 21 /TASS/. The spacecraft Starliner has docked with the International Space Station a day after it blasted off from the Earth, according to a NASA broadcast of the operation.

The docking of the spacecraft, which was developed by Boeing, was automatic and took place on 20:28 US eastern time on Friday (03:28 of May 21 in Moscow) four minutes after it received the command. Two hours earlier Starliner made several maneuvers to approach the ISS at a distance of about 400 meters and then started to close in on the target. It was originally planned that the spacecraft would dock at 02:10 Moscow time. However, several malfunctions pushed back the docking by an hour and a half.

Even so, specialists praised the performance of the craft, which was able to dock, unlike its first test in 2019.

Starliner carrying 360 kg of payload blasted off with the help of the Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Thursday. During the flight, specialists spotted an irregularity in the work of the cooling system and onboard engines turned off a bit earlier, but Boeing assured that the system generally performed well and didn’t pose risks for the remainder of the test flight.

Starliner’s docking hatch is expected to open at 19:45 Moscow time, allowing astronauts to pick up the cargo delivered by the craft. The craft will stay at the station for five to 10 days before returning to the Earth with some 270 kg of cargo, including parts of the air regeneration system. If the mission ends in success, Starliner will take turns with SpaceX craft to take astronauts to the ISS.

Starliner weighs 13 metric tons and is designed for a crew of seven and an autonomous flight of up to 60 hours. It was first launched for an unmanned test flight from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on December 20, 2019. A docking with the orbital outpost was planned for December 22 but it was canceled due to malfunctions. A glitch of the system measuring flight time was named as one of the reasons. Eventually the craft was returned to the Earth. In August last year, Boeing engineers made another attempt to launch the craft but it was canceled due to issues with engine valves.

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