Watch Animation Of How The Boeing Starliner Launches To Space

Space.com

This animation shows Boeing Starliner launching to space on board a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Starliner is one of two spacecraft built to carry astronauts to and from the International Space Station.  Credit: Boeing

Transcript

00:00 [Music]

00:14 Ascent begins at T-minus zero, lift off, the end of the countdown, and the beginning of the mission.

00:20 Shortly afterwards, at T-plus twelve seconds, the rocket rolls,

00:24 lining up Starliner with its target orbit and putting the astronauts in a heads-up position.

00:30 Then, around T-plus forty seconds, max Q starts.

00:34 That's also known as max aerodynamic pressure.

00:37 This is a critical time when the atmospheric forces reach their highest.

00:42 Next, at about plus one minute thirty-five seconds, the two solid rocket boosters run out of fuel and burn out,

00:49 and about a minute later they separate from the booster.

00:52 The Atlas booster engine continues to burn for almost two more minutes.

00:57 Then, at approximately plus four thirty, booster engine cutoff, or BECO.

01:02 About five seconds later, the booster separates, and so does the ascent cover on top of Starliner.

01:09 At around four minutes forty-five seconds, the Centaur upper stage ignites,

01:13 continuing the push to orbital speeds.

01:16 Then a little after five minutes, Starliner is free of the atmosphere and doesn't need additional aerodynamic support,

01:23 and the aero skirt is jettisoned.

01:26 After a long six-plus minute push from Centaur, main engine cutoff, or MECO, happens around twelve minutes after liftoff.

01:35 Then, when Centaur successfully separates almost fifteen minutes after launch, ULA's job is done.

01:41 But Starliner is not quite in orbit yet.

01:45 After a sixteen-minute coast, Starliner ignites four of its orbital maneuvering and attitude control, or OMAC, engines

01:52 for the orbital insertion burn, and then thirty-one minutes after liftoff, the ascent profile is complete.

01:59 [Music]

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