Produced by: Tarun Mishra
NASA and Boeing teams have greenlit the Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT) to the International Space Station (ISS) after multiple delays. The decision came after a comprehensive Delta-Agency Flight Test Readiness Review at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.
The review confirmed that all systems, facilities, and support teams are prepared for the CFT mission, ensuring a smooth and safe launch process.
The CFT mission is a crucial milestone for Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams will be carried to the ISS for a stay of up to two weeks, after which the spacecraft will return to Earth, landing in the southwestern United States.
The maiden human test flight of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is scheduled to launch on Saturday, June 1, at 9:55 pm IST.
The crew returned to Kennedy Space Center on May 28 and will remain in quarantine at the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building until the launch to ensure their health and safety.
The mission faced several delays, including a scrubbed launch on May 6 due to a valve issue on the Atlas V rocket and a helium leak in the Starliner spacecraft. These issues have since been resolved.
If the launch encounters any issues, NASA has set backup launch windows for Sunday, June 2, and additional opportunities on Wednesday, June 5, and Thursday, June 6. The launch will occur from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The success of the CFT mission will pave the way for regular crew rotation flights to the ISS, marking a significant advancement in NASA's Commercial Crew Program.
Sunita Williams, on her third mission, is part of the CFT mission to pilot the Starliner spacecraft. This mission aims to certify the Starliner as a second spacecraft capable of transporting humans to and from space, alongside SpaceX's Crew Dragon. The spacecraft, named Calypso, can operate autonomously or be manually controlled and is expected to dock with the ISS.