Boeing Co.’s next space launch this week will give it a shot at proving it can still pull off big missions.
The aerospace giant is set on Friday to again launch its Starliner space capsule without crew on board, a year and a half after a software error botched an earlier attempt to dock with the International Space Station and capped a string of Boeing failures.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration needs another way to transport astronauts and cargo to the space station, officials said. Currently, NASA relies on Russian rockets and Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, which beat Boeing in the race to get astronauts into space on a commercially owned and operated capsule.
“It’s of paramount importance that we have a successful flight,” said John Vollmer, the Boeing executive who took over the Starliner program after the earlier launch.
Boeing’s planned do-over test flight will carry cargo but no astronauts. NASA officials and Mr. Vollmer said Boeing and the space agency have subjected the Starliner’s redo to rigorous reviews aimed at ensuring the spacecraft’s software works properly with its hardware. They said their new preparations included so-called end-to-end testing, a fully simulated mission and a Boeing contractor’s review of the company’s work.