Boeing Crewed Flight Test

Boeing Crew Flight Test (Boe-CFT) will be the first crewed mission of the Boeing Starliner to the International Space Station, and the third orbital flight test of the Starliner overall after the two uncrewed flight tests, OFT-1 and OFT-2. Originally planned to occur during 2020, the launch date for the mission is currently unclear.[1][2] It will fly with a crew of two NASA astronauts and one Boeing astronaut, who will remain aboard the ISS for an extended test flight.[3][4]

Boe-CFT
Operator
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeBoeing Starliner
ManufacturerBoeing
Crew
Crew size3
MembersChristopher J. Ferguson
E. Michael Fincke
Nicole V. Aunapu Mann
Start of mission
Launch dateNET April 2021
RocketAtlas V N22
Launch siteCape Canaveral SLC-41
ContractorUnited Launch Alliance
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Inclination51.66°
Docking with ISS
Time dockedTwo weeks to six months
Commercial Crew Development
 

Crew

Barry E. Wilmore will serve as backup for both Boe-CFT and for the first Starliner mission crews. Due to medical reasons, Eric Boe, who was originally assigned to the mission in August 2018 was replaced by Michael Fincke on 22 January 2019. Boe will replace Fincke as the assistant to the chief for commercial crew in the astronaut office at NASA's Johnson Space Center.[5] Nicole Mann will become the first woman to fly on the maiden crewed flight of an American spacecraft.

Prime crew
Position Crew member
Spacecraft Commander Christopher Ferguson, Boeing
Fourth spaceflight
TBD Michael Fincke, NASA
Fourth spaceflight
TBD Nicole Aunapu Mann, NASA
First spaceflight
Backup crew
Position Crew
Spacecraft Commander Barry Wilmore, NASA

Mission

The third Atlas V N22 rocket variant will launch the Starliner with a crew of three to four. The vehicle will dock with the International Space Station, and return to Earth under parachutes for a ground-landing in the United States. Originally the mission was scheduled to fly a shorter mission of about two weeks, although it had been speculated for sometime that, due to delays to the Commercial Crew Program Boe-CFT would be extended to a full-fledged ISS crew rotation mission. In April 2019, NASA announced the mission had been fully extended to a crew rotation mission. This will be the first launch of a crewed spacecraft by an Atlas V rocket.

See also

References
  1. Gebhardt, Chris (February 28, 2020). "Boeing provides update, path forward for Starliner". Spaceflight.com. NASA.
  2. Clark, Stephen (April 6, 2020). "After problem-plagued test flight, Boeing will refly crew capsule without astronauts". Spaceflight Now.
  3. Herridge, Linda (April 3, 2019). "NASA and Boeing Extend Starliner Crew Flight Test Duration to Space Station, Target New Flight Dates". NASA.
  4. Gebhardt, Chris (June 20, 2019). "Station mission planning reveals new target Commercial Crew launch dates". Spaceflight.com. NASA.
  5. Granath, Bob (January 22, 2019). "NASA Announces Updated Crew Assignment for Boeing Flight Test". NASA. Retrieved January 24, 2019. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
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