Boeing’s Starliner set for a historic launch to the international space station in May

In a significant milestone for Boeing's Starliner program, NASA and Boeing officials have confirmed that the first crewed Starliner mission is set to proceed as planned on May 6. Following a thorough flight test review on Thursday, both NASA and Boeing have given the green light for the mission.

Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are scheduled to board Starliner on the evening of May 6 for their journey to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

The journey will take approximately 24 hours, with the astronauts expected to arrive at the ISS on May 7. During their approximately week-long stay, Starliner will remain docked with the station, serving as their return vehicle to Earth. The capsule will utilize five parachutes to slow down from ultra-fast orbital speeds, enabling a soft landing somewhere in the western United States.

This mission will mark Starliner's second flight to the ISS, following the uncrewed Orbital Flight Test-2 in May 2022. Additional launch opportunities are available on May 7, 10, and 11.

For Boeing, it’s of utmost importance that the mission completes successfully. The company was selected together with SpaceX for the NASA Commercial Crew Program (CCP) in 2011 – a multi-billion dollar project created to purchase astronaut transportation services.

However, unlike SpaceX which has successfully completed all six missions under the original contract and more, Boeing's Starliner has faced significant delays due to technical issues. The company has incurred over $1.5 billion in overrun costs due to these delays.

The aerospace giant has also faced other challenges, including regulatory scrutiny related to issues in its commercial airplane unit. Earlier this year, it was announced that Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun would step down at the end of 2024.

For NASA, the successful launch of a new spacecraft means doubling their available options for astronaut transportation and introducing a much-needed degree of redundancy to the agency’s human spaceflight program.

If this test is successful, Starliner will achieve its final certification and can begin regular missions under the CCP contract.

NASA has determined that the probability of loss of crew for this Starliner mission is 1-in-295, which exceeds NASA’s required odds of 1-in-270. “We don’t take the lives of our crew members, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, lightly at all,” said NASA’s associate administrator, Jim Free.

Equivalent data for SpaceX’s Crew Dragon was not provided.

In a significant milestone for Boeing's Starliner program, NASA and Boeing officials have confirmed that the first crewed Starliner mission is set to proceed as planned on May 6. Following a thorough flight test review on Thursday, both NASA and Boeing have given the green light for the mission.

Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are scheduled to board Starliner on the evening of May 6 for their journey to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

The journey will take approximately 24 hours, with the astronauts expected to arrive at the ISS on May 7. During their approximately week-long stay, Starliner will remain docked with the station, serving as their return vehicle to Earth. The capsule will utilize five parachutes to slow down from ultra-fast orbital speeds, enabling a soft landing somewhere in the western United States.

This mission will mark Starliner's second flight to the ISS, following the uncrewed Orbital Flight Test-2 in May 2022. Additional launch opportunities are available on May 7, 10, and 11.

For Boeing, it’s of utmost importance that the mission completes successfully. The company was selected together with SpaceX for the NASA Commercial Crew Program (CCP) in 2011 – a multi-billion dollar project created to purchase astronaut transportation services.

However, unlike SpaceX which has successfully completed all six missions under the original contract and more, Boeing's Starliner has faced significant delays due to technical issues. The company has incurred over $1.5 billion in overrun costs due to these delays.

The aerospace giant has also faced other challenges, including regulatory scrutiny related to issues in its commercial airplane unit. Earlier this year, it was announced that Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun would step down at the end of 2024.

For NASA, the successful launch of a new spacecraft means doubling their available options for astronaut transportation and introducing a much-needed degree of redundancy to the agency’s human spaceflight program.

If this test is successful, Starliner will achieve its final certification and can begin regular missions under the CCP contract.

NASA has determined that the probability of loss of crew for this Starliner mission is 1-in-295, which exceeds NASA’s required odds of 1-in-270. “We don’t take the lives of our crew members, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, lightly at all,” said NASA’s associate administrator, Jim Free.

Equivalent data for SpaceX’s Crew Dragon was not provided.