Docking Clamps
The successful orbital shakedown cruise that validated Boeing's Starliner after software failures.
Docking clamps are the magnetic mechanism that allows separate ships to join into a single entity after an orbital rendezvous. Once docking ports are very close or touching, these clamps will magnetically clamp to each other to complete the connection. The tolerance for the clamps is quite generous, though it can take some time for them to activate after the ports are in close proximity.
Quick Facts
- Type
- Uncrewed Orbital Test Flight
- Launch vehicle
- Atlas V N22 (AV-082)
- Launched
- 19 May 2022
- Docking date
- 21 May 2022
- Landing date
- 25 May 2022
- Mission duration
- 6 days
- Payload mass
- Approximately 245 kg (540 lb)
- Upper stage configuration
- Dual-engine Centaur with two RL10s
Lore & Background
Boeing and NASA agreed on this second uncrewed flight test to address the software problems that prevented rendezvous during OFT-1. The mission adhered to a fixed-price contract paid by Boeing, with an estimated out-of-pocket cost of US$410 million. Notably, the hardware originally intended for the crewed Crew Flight Test (CFT) was repurposed for this validation run. Following the 2019 failure, engineers modified the docking system design, adding a hinged re-entry cover below the expendable nosecone to protect against atmospheric heating, similar to SpaceX's Dragon 2. This flight also achieved a historic milestone: it was the first time a spacecraft utilizing NASA's standard docking system docked with the ISS, distinct from SpaceX's proprietary interface.
Reader's Guide
Boeing modified the Starliner docking system after OFT-1 by adding a hinged re-entry cover for atmospheric protection. The mission utilized an Atlas V N22 with a dual-engine Centaur upper stage, which is mandatory to provide abort trajectories at any mission point. During launch on 19 May 2022, two of the service module's twelve OMAC thrusters failed immediately after ignition, yet the onboard system switched to backups to complete the burn successfully. Soft capture occurred 26 hours and 34 minutes into the flight, followed by hard capture 20 minutes later. A one-hour delay during docking was necessitated by the need to retract and re-extend the ring clamp on the NDS interface. The hatch opened on 21 May at 16:04 UTC for crew access simulation and closed on 24 May at 19:00 UTC. Undocking occurred on 25 May at 18:36 UTC, with a successful landing in White Sands, New Mexico, at 22:49 UTC.
Did You Know?
- The mission used Starliner Spacecraft 2, which was originally planned for the crewed Crew Flight Test.
- The launch was delayed for a full year starting in August 2021 due to valve issues in the propulsion system.
- Starliner carried a plush toy of Kerbal Space Program character Jebediah Kerman as a zero-G indicator.
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