Category: International Space Station

NASA, Mission Partners Ready for Starliner Launch

Image of NASA and mission partners conducting a prelaunch briefing at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Friday, May 31, 2024 ahead of NASA, Boeing Crew Flight Test
NASA and mission partners participate in a prelaunch briefing for NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Friday, May 31, 2024. From left to right at the dais are Derrol Nail, NASA Communications; Jim Free, NASA associate administrator; Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program; Dana Weigel, manager, NASA’s International Space Station Program; Mike Fincke, NASA astronaut; Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Boeing Commercial Crew Program; Gary Wentz, vice president, Government and Commercial Programs, ULA; Mark Burger, launch weather officer, U.S. Space Force, 45th Weather Squadron. As part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are the first to launch aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft atop a ULA Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Liftoff is scheduled for 12:25 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 1, 2024. Photo credit: NASA

In less than 24 hours, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will be the first to launch aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

NASA, Boeing, and ULA (United Launch Alliance) are ready for the Saturday, June 1, launch of the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test. The partners made the announcement during a prelaunch media briefing held earlier from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

“I’m very proud of the teams who have worked really hard the last two and a half weeks to prepare for launch,” said Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. “We’re really ready to go fly.”

Launch weather officers with the U.S. Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron predict a 90% chance of favorable weather conditions for tomorrow’s launch, with ground winds and the cumulus cloud rule being the primary weather concerns.

The integrated ULA Atlas V rocket and Starliner spacecraft stack rolled out to the pad at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on May 30 in preparation for liftoff. Meanwhile, Wilmore and Williams have remained in preflight quarantine inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building following their return to the Florida spaceport on May 28.

“We look forward to flying this mission. This is a test flight; we know we’re going to learn things,” said Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Commercial Crew Program, Boeing. “We are going to improve, and that improvement starts with the Starliner-1 mission and it will be even better than the mission we’re about to fly.”

The mission will send Wilmore and Williams to the orbiting laboratory for about a week before Starliner makes a parachute and airbag-assisted landing in the southwestern United States.

After successful completion of the mission, NASA will begin the final process of certifying Starliner and its systems for crewed rotation missions to the space station. The Starliner capsule will carry four astronauts, or a mix of crew and cargo, for NASA missions to low Earth orbit.

Watch a replay of the media briefing on YouTube.

Liftoff is scheduled for no earlier than 12:25 p.m. Saturday, June 1. NASA will provide live launch coverage beginning at 8:15 a.m. on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.

NASA, Partners Host Boeing Crew Flight Test Prelaunch Media Briefing

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft atop the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is seen on the launch pad of Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Thursday, May 30, 2024, ahead of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test. As part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are the first to launch to the International Space Station aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. Liftoff is scheduled for 12:25 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 1. Photo credit: NASA/Isaac Watson

Prelaunch operations continue ahead of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test launch. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are ready, and the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, attached on the ULA (United Launch Alliance) Atlas V rocket, rolled out to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on May 30.

NASA, Boeing, and ULA will hold a prelaunch briefing at 1 p.m. EDT, May 31, to answer questions from the media ahead of liftoff.

The briefing participants include:

  • NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free
  • Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
  • Dana Weigel, manager, NASA’s International Space Station Program
  • NASA astronaut Mike Fincke
  • Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Commercial Crew Program, Boeing
  • Gary Wentz, vice president, Government and Commercial Programs, ULA
  • Mark Burger, launch weather officer, 45th Weather Squadron, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

Coverage of the briefing will air live on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.

Launch of the ULA Atlas V rocket and Boeing Starliner spacecraft is targeted for 12:25 p.m. June 1. Starliner will carry Wilmore and Williams on a 25-hour journey to the International Space Station before docking to the forward-facing port of the orbiting laboratory’s Harmony module.

NASA, Mission Partners ‘Go’ for Crew Flight Test Launch

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams arrive back at the Launch and Landing Facility at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, ahead of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test. The first launch attempt on May 6 was scrubbed. As part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, Wilmore and Williams are the first to launch to the International Space Station aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Liftoff is scheduled for 12:25 p.m. EDT on Saturday, June 1. Photo credit: NASA/Cory S. Huston

NASA and Boeing teams polled “go” to proceed with plans to launch the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test to the International Space Station at 12:25 p.m. EDT Saturday, June 1. During a Delta-Agency Flight Test Readiness Review Wednesday at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, leaders from NASA, Boeing, and ULA (United Launch Alliance) verified launch readiness, including all systems, facilities, and teams supporting the test flight.

A backup launch opportunity is available on Sunday, June 2, with additional launch windows on Wednesday, June 5, and Thursday, June 6.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams returned to Kennedy on May 28, and will remain in quarantine at the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building until Saturday’s launch. The crew previously quarantined in Houston while mission teams worked to resolve various items with the rocket and spacecraft since scrubbing an initial launch attempt on May 6.

Next up, NASA leaders, along with Boeing and ULA partners, will hold a prelaunch news conference at 1 p.m. EDT Friday, May 31, at Kennedy’s press auditorium.

Liftoff of the Atlas V rocket and Starliner spacecraft will occur from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The Crew Flight Test will send Wilmore and Williams to the orbiting laboratory for about a week before returning to Earth aboard the reusable crew capsule, which will make a parachute- and- airbag-assisted landing in the southwestern United States.

NASA, Mission Partners Answer Questions Behind Starliner Scrub

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft at launch pad at Space Launch Complex-41 on Saturday, May 4, 2024 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. NASA/Joel Kowsky

Managers from NASA, Boeing, and ULA (United Launch Alliance) hosted a media teleconference to discuss ongoing work ahead of sending NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test. 

The media event provided an update on a valve ULA replaced on the Centaur upper stage of the Atlas V rocket, as well as a small helium leak in the spacecraft’s service module, and a propulsion system assessment to understand potential helium system impacts on some Starliner return scenarios. 

Listen to a replay of the media teleconference on the agency’s YouTube channel. 

Wilmore and Williams are the first to launch aboard Boeing’s Starliner on an Atlas V rocket. The astronauts will spend about a week at the orbiting laboratory before the crew capsule makes a parachute and airbag-assisted landing in the southwestern United States. 

The crew remains in quarantine in preparation for the launch. NASA, Boeing, and ULA also will participate in a Delta-Agency Flight Test Readiness Review on Wednesday, May 29, to evaluate the work performed since the last launch attempt on May 6. 

Liftoff is scheduled for 12:25 p.m. Saturday, June 1, from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. After successful completion of the flight test, NASA will begin the final process of certifying Starliner and its systems for crewed rotation missions to the space station. 

Learn more about NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test by following the mission blog, the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew on X, and commercial crew on Facebook. 

NASA, Boeing Now Working Toward May 25 Launch of Crew Flight Test

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft aboard is seen on the launch pad illuminated by spotlights at Space Launch Complex 41 on Sunday, May 5, 2024. Photo Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

NASA, Boeing, and ULA (United Launch Alliance) teams will take additional time to work through spacecraft closeout processes and flight rationale before proceeding with the launch of the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test. The teams now are targeting a launch no earlier than 3:09 p.m. EDT Saturday, May 25, for the flight test carrying NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station.

The additional time allows teams to further assess a small helium leak in the Boeing Starliner spacecraft’s service module traced to a flange on a single reaction control system thruster. Pressure testing performed on May 15 on the spacecraft’s helium system showed the leak in the flange is stable and would not pose a risk at that level during the flight. The testing also indicated the rest of the thruster system is sealed effectively across the entire service module. Boeing teams are working to develop operational procedures to ensure the system retains sufficient performance capability and appropriate redundancy during the flight. As that work proceeds, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and the International Space Station Program will take the next few days to review the data and procedures to make a final determination before proceeding to flight countdown.

The ULA Atlas V rocket and Boeing’s Starliner remain in the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The NASA, Boeing, and ULA teams remain committed to ensuring a safe Starliner flight test.

Wilmore and Williams will remain quarantined in Houston as prelaunch operations progress. They will fly back to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida closer to the new launch date. The duo is the first to launch aboard Starliner to the space station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. The astronauts will spend about a week at the orbiting laboratory before returning to Earth and making a parachute and airbag-assisted landing in the southwestern United States.

After successful completion of the mission, NASA will begin the final process of certifying Starliner and its systems for crewed rotation missions to the space station.

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test Eyes Next Launch Opportunity

United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket with Boeing Starliner's spacecraft atop at Space Launch Complex-41 ahead of NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test.
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft aboard is seen as it is rolled out of the Vertical Integration Facility to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 ahead of the NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, Saturday, May 4, 2024 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Photo credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

NASA, Boeing, and ULA (United Launch Alliance) teams continue working remaining open tasks in preparation for the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test to the International Space Station. The teams now are targeting a launch date of no earlier than 4:43 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, May 21, to complete additional testing.

On May 11, the ULA team successfully replaced a pressure regulation valve on the liquid oxygen tank on the Atlas V rocket’s Centaur upper stage. The team also performed re-pressurization and system purges, and tested the new valve, which performed normally.

Starliner teams are working to resolve a small helium leak detected in the spacecraft’s service module traced to a flange on a single reaction control system thruster. Helium is used in spacecraft thruster systems to allow the thrusters to fire and is not combustible or toxic.

NASA and Boeing are developing spacecraft testing and operational solutions to address the issue. As a part of the testing, Boeing will bring the propulsion system up to flight pressurization just as it does prior to launch, and then allow the helium system to vent naturally to validate existing data and strengthen flight rationale. Mission teams also completed a thorough review of the data from the May 6 launch attempt and are not tracking any other issues.

The Atlas V and Starliner remain in the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, still in preflight quarantine, returned to Houston on May 10 to spend extra time with their families as prelaunch operations progress. The duo will fly back to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in the coming days.

Wilmore and Williams are the first to launch aboard Boeing’s Starliner to the space station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. The astronauts will spend about a week at the orbiting laboratory before returning to Earth and making a parachute and airbag-assisted landing in the southwestern United States.

After successful completion of the mission, NASA will begin the final process of certifying Starliner and its systems for crewed rotation missions to the space station.

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test Targets New Launch Date

A rocket with a spacecraft atop stand in the center of the image illuminated by spotlights against a dark sunset sky.
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft atop illuminated by spotlights on the launch pad of Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida is photographed ahead of the NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, the first Starliner mission to send astronauts to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Photo credit: NASA/ Joel Kowsky

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test now is targeted to launch no earlier than 6:16 p.m. EDT Friday, May 17, to the International Space Station. Following a thorough data review completed on Tuesday, ULA (United Launch Alliance) decided to replace a pressure regulation valve on the liquid oxygen tank on the Atlas V rocket’s Centaur upper stage.

ULA plans to roll the rocket, with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, back to its Vertical Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Wednesday, May 8, to begin the replacement. The ULA team will perform leak checks and functional checkouts in support of the next launch attempt.

The oscillating behavior of the valve during prelaunch operations, ultimately resulted in mission teams calling a launch scrub on May 6. After the ground crews and astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams safely exited from Space Launch Complex-41, the ULA team successfully commanded the valve closed and the oscillations were temporarily dampened. The oscillations then re-occurred twice during fuel removal operations. After evaluating the valve history, data signatures from the launch attempt, and assessing the risks relative to continued use, the ULA team determined the valve exceeded its qualification and mission managers agreed to remove and replace the valve.

Mission managers discussed the details leading to the decision to scrub the May 6 launch opportunity during a news conference shortly after the scrub call at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Wilmore and Williams will remain in crew quarters at NASA Kennedy in quarantine until the next launch opportunity. The duo will be the first to launch aboard Starliner to the space station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

NASA, Boeing to Update Media on Starliner Crew Flight Test Tonight

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft aboard is seen on the launch pad at Space Launch Complex-41  on Sunday, May 5, 2024 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Photo Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

NASA, Boeing, and United Launch Alliance will host a news conference at 10:30 p.m. EDT to discuss Monday’s scrubbed launch attempt of the agency’s Crew Flight Test due to a faulty oxygen relief valve observation on the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket Centaur second stage. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams exited the Starliner spacecraft at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida and returned to astronaut crew quarters.

NASA will provide news conference coverage on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.

The following will participate in the news conference:

  • Ken Bowersox, associate administrator, NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate
  • Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
  • Dana Weigel, manager, International Space Station Program at NASA
  • Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Commercial Crew Program, Boeing
  • Tory Bruno, president and CEO, United Launch Alliance

Learn more about NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test by following the mission blog, the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew on X, and commercial crew on Facebook.

NASA Astronauts Suited Up, Head to Launch Pad

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams walk out of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building on Monday, May 6, 2024, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo credit: NASA

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore, commander, and Suni Williams, pilot, are suited up and on their way to the launch pad for tonight’s launch.

The duo spent about an hour putting on their suits and completing suit leak checks inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

After departing the building, Wilmore and Williams waved to family and friends waiting outside before loading into Boeing’s Astrovan.

“Let’s fly” Wilmore said.

The nine-mile drive will take the astronauts to the launch pad at nearby Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Wilmore and Williams are the first crew to fly aboard Boeing’s Starliner as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Liftoff to the International Space Station is scheduled for 10:34 p.m. EDT. The crew is expected to arrive at the orbiting laboratory for rendezvous and docking at 12:46 a.m. Wednesday, May 8.

Wilmore and Williams will spend about a week at the space station before the crew capsule makes a parachute and airbag-assisted landing in the southwestern United States.

Once the flight test is complete, NASA will begin the final process of certifying Starliner and its systems for regular human spaceflight launches.

Learn more about NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test by following the mission blog, the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew on X, and commercial crew on Facebook.

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test Key Launch Milestones

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft atop the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is seen on the launch pad of Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Monday, May 6, 2024, ahead of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test. Photo credit: NASA

In less than four hours, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are set to lift off at 10:34 p.m. EDT aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

As part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, the mission is the first crewed flight for the Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station.

Here is a look at some key milestones leading up to tonight’s launch:

Time                   Event (All times approximate)
6:26 p.m.          Flight crew begins suit-up operations
7:04 p.m.          Crew walkout from the Neil A. Armstrong Operations & Checkout Building
7:14 p.m.           Crew departs, travels to Space Launch Complex-41
7:39 p.m.           Crew arrives at pad, ascends tower, enters white room, and enters Starliner capsule separately
8:57 p.m.           Crew inside Starliner capsule complete
9:24 p.m.          Hatch closure and leak checks
9:32 p.m.           Hatch closure complete
9:44 p.m.          Configure White Room for launch
10:09 p.m.        Clear for launch check
10:23 p.m.         Crew access arm retracts
10:34 p.m.         Liftoff!
10:35 p.m.         ULA rocket reaches MaxQ
10:40 p.m.        Atlas V booster separates
10:48 p.m.        Boeing Starliner separates
11:05 p.m.         Orbital insertion burn

Starliner will autonomously dock to the station on Wednesday, May 8, and remain at the orbital laboratory for about a week. Although Starliner is designed to dock autonomously, the astronauts aboard the spacecraft will demonstrate manual control processes and capabilities before the spacecraft makes its automated final approach.

Stay tuned for more updates on this blog as the countdown to launch continues.