Boeing’s Starliner Scheduled for its Inaugural Crew Flight Launch

After years of anticipation, the Boeing CST-100 Starliner capsule is finally ready to embark on its first crewed mission into space. The Crew Flight Test (CFT) will send astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams on a trajectory to rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS), where they will spend about a week. This historic mission will not only be the first crewed flight on the Starliner, but also the first human flight on the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket since Apollo 7 in 1968.

Boeing’s Starliner, named Calypso for this mission, consists of a capsule and a service module. The capsule measures 4.5 meters in diameter, slightly larger than an Apollo capsule and smaller than NASA’s Orion capsule. It can carry up to seven people, but this mission will only have a crew of two. The service module remains attached to the capsule until just prior to reentry and contains four launch abort engines for emergency situations.

The launch vehicle for this mission is ULA’s Atlas V rocket, which has a long history in spaceflight. Early versions of the Atlas rocket flew the first American astronauts into orbit, including John Glenn’s historic flight in 1962. The Atlas V rocket has been significantly advanced since then and is equipped with contemporary technology and features. It will launch Starliner on a suborbital trajectory, and once in orbit, the spacecraft will perform maneuvers to rendezvous with the ISS.

The crew will spend about two days closing in on the ISS and performing various maneuvers to align with the station’s orbit. Once inside the approach ellipsoid, an imaginary zone controlled by ground stations, Starliner will approach the ISS. It will dock autonomously to the International Docking Adapter on the Harmony module. This will be the first time a crewed Starliner capsule is attached to the ISS.

After a successful rendezvous with the ISS, the crew will spend about a week conducting experiments and performing tasks on the station. Once their mission is complete, Wilmore and Williams will undock from the ISS and begin their journey back to Earth. The descent module will reenter the atmosphere, protected by a heat shield, and deploy parachutes to slow down its descent. Airbags will inflate above the ground to cushion the crew for a soft landing in White Sands, New Mexico.

The successful completion of this mission will pave the way for future operational missions with Starliner, including long-duration stays on the ISS. It represents a major milestone in NASA’s Commercial Crew Transportation Capability program, which aims to have multiple spacecraft available to transport astronauts to and from the ISS. With both Starliner and SpaceX’s Crew Dragon in rotation, NASA will have more flexibility and redundancy in crew transportation to the ISS.

Overall, the Boeing CST-100 Starliner’s first crewed flight is a significant achievement for both Boeing and NASA. It demonstrates the progress made in commercial spaceflight and highlights the importance of partnerships between government agencies and private companies in advancing human space exploration. As Starliner joins Dragon in ferrying astronauts to the ISS, the future of crewed spaceflight looks brighter than ever.