Tag: Starliner
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Maybe, just maybe, Boeing’s Starliner will finally fly astronauts this spring
We’ve heard this before, but Boeing appears to be a couple of months from finally launching astronauts into orbit aboard the commercial CST-100 Starliner crew capsule. It was about two months prior to this mission’s previous launch date last July when Boeing and NASA officials decided to put a hold on launch preparations. During their…
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Rocket Report: Starliner launch preps; Indian rocket engine human-rated
Welcome to Edition 6.32 of the Rocket Report! I’m writing the report again this week as Eric Berger is in Washington, DC, to receive a well-earned honor, the 2024 Excellence in Commercial Space Journalism Award from the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. Cape Canaveral is the world’s busiest spaceport, and this week, three leading US launch companies…
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Stars aligning for Boeing crew launch in April
The long-awaited crewed launch of Starliner has gained increased positivity that its latest launch date will remain on target, following numerous slips since the maiden uncrewed flight to the International Space Station (ISS). While NASA postponed the NET launch date for the Starliner crew flight test (CFT) is now set for April 14, 2024 due…
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Boeing confident in achieving six flights to the ISS despite Starliner delay
Boeing’s Starliner Crewed Flight Test (CFT) which will carry astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams to the International Space Station (ISS) is now delayed to next year, with the earliest chance for launch in March. However, Boeing is still confident it will complete the six crewed flights ordered by NASA despite the planned…
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Boeing has now lost $1.1 billion on Starliner, with no crew flight in sight
A difficult summer for the Starliner program continued this week, with Boeing reporting additional losses on the vehicle’s development and NASA saying it’s too early to discuss potential launch dates for the crewed spacecraft. Throughout this spring, NASA and Boeing had been working toward a July launch date of the spacecraft, which will carry two…
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This Week In Spaceflight: China’s lunar plans, North Korea’s failed launch, and Starliner delays
Reviewing this week in spaceflight and upcoming events, it’s been another busy period. China now claims to be on track to land humans on the Moon by 2030, North Korea’s recent orbital launch failed, and Starliner’s Crewed Flight Test has been delayed yet again. China Claims to be on Track for Human Landing on the…
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Boeing finds two serious problems with Starliner just weeks before launch
A Boeing official said Thursday that the company was “standing down” from an attempt to launch the Starliner spacecraft on July 21 to focus on recently discovered issues with the vehicle. Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager for Starliner, said two spacecraft problems were discovered before Memorial Day weekend and that the company spent…
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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),…
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Florida spaceports brace for Hurricane Ian
The Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station are bracing for the arrival and effects of Hurricane Ian, a major tropical cyclone in the Gulf of Mexico that made landfall near Cayo Costa, Florida at 3:05 PM EDT (19:05 UTC) on Wednesday, Sept. 28 with maximum sustained winds at 241 km/h (150 mph). Updates…
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May on the station: Starliner’s ISS debut, research, and spacesuit troubleshooting
May 2022 was an eventful and important month for the future of the International Space Station as well as the Commercial Crew program designed to support it. The astronauts of the SpaceX Crew-3 mission returned to Earth aboard Crew Dragon Endurance after handing over operations to the recently arrived Crew-4 members. Also, the Boeing Starliner…