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Boeing Starliner Launch

Teams inside the Starliner production factory at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida recently began fueling the Starliner crew module and service module in preparation for launch of Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) at 2:53 p.m. EDT on Friday, July 30.

NASA and Boeing Progress Toward July Launch of Second Starliner Flight Test
NASA, Boeing Progress Toward July Launch of Second Starliner Flight | NASA

While the spacecraft is nearly ready, Boeing has to wait until late July to launch because of both launch schedules on the Eastern Range as well as vehicles visiting the ISS. Starliner can dock at one of two ports on the station, one of which is currently occupied by the Crew-2 Crew Dragon spacecraft. The other will be used by a cargo Dragon mission launching June 3 and scheduled to remain at the station through mid-July.

Starliner test flight scheduled for July 30
Starliner test flight scheduled for July 30 - SpaceNews

The four astronauts who arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on SpaceX's Crew Dragon Endeavour for the Crew-2 mission will reboard the spacecraft for a short voyage to relocate it from one docking port another on July 21, 2021.

The Crew Dragon's move will free up enough room on Harmony's forward port for Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spaceship.

As part of NASA's Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2 mission, the CST-100 Starliner is set to launch on July 30.

The voyage will also put the Starliner spaceship to the test, including its stability after re-entering the atmosphere, docking robustness, and desert landing.

According to NASA, the mission will offer information on Boeing's crew transportation system. It will also assist NASA in certifying Starliner and United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket for frequent trips to and from the International Space Station.

NASA to Relocate Crew Dragon Port on Space Station for Boeing's CST-100's Arrival; Here's How to Watch
NASA to Relocate Crew Dragon Port on Space Station for Boeing's CST-100's Arrival; Here's How to Watch | Science Times

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James Webb Space Telescope

NASA now is targeting Oct. 31, 2021, for the launch of the agency’s James Webb Space Telescope from French Guiana, due to impacts from the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, as well as technical challenges.

The design of a very large space telescope and highly sophisticated instruments was required to enable Webb to answer fundamental questions about our cosmic origins outlined in the National Academy of Sciences 2000 Decadal Survey.

“Webb is designed to build upon the incredible legacies of the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes, by observing the infrared universe and exploring every phase of cosmic history,” said Eric Smith, NASA Webb’s program scientist at the agency’s headquarters. “The observatory will detect light from the first generation of galaxies that formed in the early universe after the big bang and study the atmospheres of nearby exoplanets for possible signs of habitability.”

NASA Announces New James Webb Space Telescope Target Launch Date
NASA Announces New James Webb Space Telescope Target Launch Date | NASA

Webb often gets called the replacement for Hubble, but we prefer to call it a successor. After all, Webb is the scientific successor to Hubble; its science goals were motivated by results from Hubble. Hubble's science pushed us to look to longer wavelengths to "go beyond" what Hubble has already done. In particular, more distant objects are more highly redshifted, and their light is pushed from the UV and optical into the near-infrared. Thus observations of these distant objects (like the first galaxies formed in the Universe, for example) requires an infrared telescope.

This is the other reason that Webb is not a replacement for Hubble; its capabilities are not identical. Webb will primarily look at the Universe in the infrared, while Hubble studies it primarily at optical and ultraviolet wavelengths (though it has some infrared capability). Webb also has a much bigger mirror than Hubble. This larger light collecting area means that Webb can peer farther back into time than Hubble is capable of doing. Hubble is in a very close orbit around the earth, while Webb will be 1.5 million kilometers (km) away at the second Lagrange (L2) point.

Webb vs Hubble Telescope
Comparison: Webb vs Hubble Telescope - Webb/NASA

The James Webb Space Telescope will not be in orbit around the Earth, like the Hubble Space Telescope is - it will actually orbit the Sun, 1.5 million kilometers (1 million miles) away from the Earth at what is called the second Lagrange point or L2. What is special about this orbit is that it lets the telescope stay in line with the Earth as it moves around the Sun. This allows the satellite's large sunshield to protect the telescope from the light and heat of the Sun and Earth (and Moon).

Webb Orbit
Orbit - Webb/NASA