Boeing Starliner Passes Crucial Pad Abort Test with Flying Colors

Boeing's CST-100 Starliner underwent a crucial Pad Abort Test on November 4, 2019, at Launch Complex 32 on White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The test aimed to verify that the spacecraft's systems could function together to protect astronauts in an emergency before liftoff.

The test involved igniting the spacecraft's four launch abort engines and several orbital maneuvering and attitude control thrusters, producing a combined 160,000 pounds of thrust. This powerful force pushed the Starliner away from the test stand, simulating a worst-case scenario where astronauts need to be safely removed from the launch pad.

The Pad Abort Test was Boeing's first major test flight for NASA's Commercial Crew Program, which aims to launch American astronauts on American rockets and spacecraft from American soil for the first time since 2011. The successful test marked an important step towards achieving this goal.