Timeline: Boeing’s new Starliner set for first crewed flight to space station
2024.05.06 14:23
(Reuters) – Two years after its initial unmanned journey to the International Space Station (ISS), Boeing (NYSE:)’s new Starliner astronaut capsule is set for its first crewed test flight on Monday night, following numerous delays.
Boeing’s Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 Starliner spacecraft, developed in collaboration with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, is engineered to carry up to seven passengers, or a combination of crew and cargo, for journeys to low-Earth orbit.
Riding aboard the Starliner are NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore, 61, a retired U.S. Navy captain, and Sunita “Sunni” Williams, 58, a former Navy aviator and test pilot.
Here’s a quick rundown of key events over the past few years:
Sept. 4, 2015 – Boeing takes the wraps off an assembly plant for its first line of commercial spaceships, which NASA plans to use to fly crews to the ISS.
Nov. 4, 2019 – Boeing says one of three parachutes failed to open during a crucial unmanned test of the CST-100 Starliner.
Dec. 20, 2019 – Boeing successfully launches its new astronaut capsule on an unmanned debut journey to the ISS.
Dec. 22, 2019 – The spacecraft makes a “bull’s-eye” landing in the New Mexico desert.
Jan. 7, 2020 – NASA and Boeing probe software glitch that stopped the capsule from reaching the ISS.
Feb. 6, 2020 – Boeing narrowly misses a “catastrophic failure” during its December flight test of an unmanned space taxi that was cut short by an unrelated problem.
Aug. 25, 2020 – The first Starliner crewed mission is tentatively slated for 2021
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Oct. 7, 2020 – The chief astronaut for Starliner crewed flight to the ISS, Chris Ferguson, steps down from the job, citing family priorities
July 29, 2021 – Space station mishap prompts NASA to postpone launch of Boeing Starliner
Aug. 3, 2021 – Boeing postpones Starliner launch after new glitch
Aug. 13, 2021 – Boeing to return the spacecraft to the factory to resolve a valve issue, delaying the launch date
May 19, 2022 – The Starliner capsule launches on a do-over uncrewed test flight bound for the International Space Station
May 20, 2022 – The new Starliner crew capsule docked for the first time with the International Space Station
Aug 25, 2022 – Boeing targets early 2023 for the first Starliner mission carrying astronauts
June 1, 2023 – Boeing says it is standing down from late preparations for its first crewed Starliner test flight to space that was planned for July 2023 after it discovered two safety-critical issues with the spacecraft.
