Tag: CFT
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Crew-9, Starliner CFT astronauts return to Earth aboard Dragon
After more than nine months in space, the crew of the Boeing Crew Flight Test mission have returned home. Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams boarded SpaceX Crew Dragon C212 Freedom and undocked from the International Space Station on March 17, and splashed down off the coast of Florida on March 18. They were…
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Starliner Calypso has undocked and returned to Earth without CFT crew
The Boeing Starliner Calypso, which launched to the International Space Station on June 5 with two experienced astronauts on board, is about to undock from ISS after three months on orbit — but with those fliers staying behind on the Station for the next six months while the Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission ends without…
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Boeing Starliner returning without crew – Butch and Suni to fly SpaceX
The eventful Starliner Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission crewed by astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams has reached a point where a decision has now been made to return the astronauts home on Crew Dragon Freedom. This comes after the CFT mission stretched from the initial “soft” planning for eight days to spending two and…
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Boeing’s Starliner CFT launches on third attempt
After years of anticipation, Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner capsule has flown its first crew into space on the 100th flight of an Atlas V launch vehicle. Capping off Starliner’s test campaign, the Crew Flight Test (CFT) has sent Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams on a trajectory to rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS) where they…
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Launch Roundup: North Korean launch failure, Starliner CFT, EarthCARE
As May transitions into June, a European Space Agency (ESA) mission to study the Earth’s clouds and aerosols as well as a Russian cargo ship to resupply the International Space Station (ISS) were both on this week’s docket of launches. Two Starlink and three Chinese satellite launch missions were also scheduled, as well as the…
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NASA says Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule can safely fly ‘as is’ with propulsion system helium leak
Boeing’s Starliner capsule atop the Atlas 5 rocket inside United Launch Alliance’s Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral. Image: United Launch Alliance. After nearly three weeks of exhaustive tests and data analysis, NASA managers said Friday they are confident Boeing’s oft-delayed Starliner crew capsule can safely launch “as is”…
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Atlas 5 valve repair will delay Starliner’s first crewed mission to May 17 at the earliest
A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas 5 N22 rocket with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on top as seen the day before its planned May 6 launch. A problematic valve in the Centaur upper stage of the rocket caused the mission to scrub two hours before liftoff. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is going to…
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Launch Roundup: Boeing Starliner delayed and China launches new rocket variant
This week was expected to see the maiden launches of two new spacecraft: Boeing’s crewed Starliner spacecraft and the first Chang Zheng 6C rocket from China. The launch of Starliner’s Crewed Flight Test (CFT) mission will be the first crewed launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station since the Apollo era, as well as the…
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NASA astronauts arrive at Kennedy Space Center ahead of Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore (left) and Suni Williams (right) pose by their mission patch following their arrival at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in the run-up to the Starliner Crew Flight Test on May 6. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now For the first time since the end of the shuttle program, a trio of T-38 jets cruised…
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Crew operations training gears up for Starliner and Orion
Operations to support the upcoming first crew flights of Starliner and Orion are increasing around the Kennedy Space Center as both vehicles head toward that major milestone. Starliner operations have included United Launch Alliance (ULA), NASA, and Space Launch Delta 45 teams, as well as the crew for the vehicle’s upcoming Crew Flight Test (CFT),…