NASA Sets Date for Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test

Marc Boucher March 8, 2024 News, Technology Leave a comment

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft approaches the International Space Station on May 20, 2022. Image credit: NASA

NASA has set a tentative date of No Earlier Than (NET) Monday, April 22, 2024 for what is expected to be the final test flight of the Starliner capsule. Should this Crew Flight Test (CFT) go smoothly then the Starliner-1 mission with Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk onboard would launch NET early 2025.

Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Joshua Kutryk poses for a portrait at CSA headquarters in Longueuil, Quebec. Image credit: Canadian Space Agency.
Credit: CSA.

For Kutryk this would be his first flight to space and it will be a long duration stay, approximately six months, on the International Space Station (ISS).

The Canadian Space Agency said in its notice about the upcoming CFT that “Kutryk will also be Capcom for the CFT flight, supporting from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.”

Onboard the CFT flight are NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams who will rendezvous and dock with the ISS and stay upwards of two weeks. The CFT Starliner will launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

NASA said “the mission will test the end-to-end capabilities of the Starliner system, including launch, docking, and return to Earth in the desert of the western United States.”

From left, NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore, Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT) pilot and commander, respectively, exit the Astronaut Crew Quarters at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida during a crew validation test on Oct. 18, 2022. The astronauts, with assistance from the Boeing team, successfully completed the validation test during which they suited up and tested out the pressurized crew module to ensure seat fit, suit functionality, cabin temperature, audio system, and day of launch operations. Image credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett.
From left, NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore, Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT) pilot and commander, respectively, exit the Astronaut Crew Quarters at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida during a crew validation test on Oct. 18, 2022. The astronauts, with assistance from the Boeing team, successfully completed the validation test during which they suited up and tested out the pressurized crew module to ensure seat fit, suit functionality, cabin temperature, audio system, and day of launch operations. Image credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett.

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About Marc Boucher

Boucher is an entrepreneur, writer, editor & publisher. He is the founder of SpaceQ Media Inc. and Executive Vice President, Content of SpaceNews. Boucher has 25+ years working in various roles in the space industry and a total of 30 years as a technology entrepreneur including creating Maple Square, Canada's first internet directory and search engine.

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