NASA and Boeing set new date for Starliner's first crewed mission
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 03, 2024

In light of a recent review of the International Space Station's (ISS) busy schedule, the first manned flight of the CST-100 Starliner, a part of NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test, is now slated for no earlier than May 6.

This rescheduling is aimed at better aligning with the ISS's end-of-April activities, which include the departure of a cargo spacecraft and the repositioning of a crew spacecraft to make way for the Starliner's docking. Both NASA and Boeing are in the midst of finalizing prelaunch procedures and securing the necessary flight certifications.

The mission will see astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore travel to the ISS, docking at the Harmony module's forward port. Preceding this, SpaceX Crew-8 members, presently attached to the same port aboard their Dragon spacecraft, will shift to the zenith port of Harmony, facilitating the Starliner's arrival.

This adjusted timeline also affords the ISS crew additional time to wrap up scientific research and manage cargo before the Dragon cargo spacecraft's departure.

Launching under NASA's Commercial Crew Program, Starliner will ascend aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Williams and Wilmore are expected to spend approximately a week at the ISS before returning to Earth, landing in the western United States.

This crucial test flight will evaluate Starliner's readiness for regular astronaut missions to and from the space station on behalf of NASA.

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