Boeing’s Starliner Capsule Makes Launch Debut, but Hits Snag

Boeing’s new Starliner capsule ran into trouble in orbit Friday minutes after blasting off on its first test flight.
Boeing’s Starliner Capsule Makes Launch Debut, but Hits Snag
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying the Boeing Starliner crew capsule on an Orbital Flight Test to the International Space Station lifts off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force station on Dec. 20, 2019, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Terry Renna/AP Photo
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—Boeing’s new Starliner capsule ran into trouble in orbit Friday minutes after blasting off on its first test flight, a crucial dress rehearsal for next year’s inaugural launch with astronauts.

Everything went flawlessly as the Atlas V rocket soared with the Starliner just before sunrise. But a half-hour into the flight, Boeing reported that the capsule’s insertion into orbit was not normal.