Trevor Mahelman
It’s been five weeks since the Boeing Starliner spacecraft returned from A. A very successful test flight to the International Space Station, and the company continues to review data from the mission with NASA engineers.
So far there has been no offer. According to sources, the Starliner’s relatively clean performance has increased the likelihood of the aircraft making its first manned flight in December of this year.
This mission, called the Crew Flight Test, will likely bring two astronauts to the space station. If successful, it would pave the way for long-term operational missions to the space station in 2023 and give NASA a second, desirable way to get astronauts into space.
Two weeks ago, NASA publicly announce Veteran astronauts Butch Willmore and Sonny Williams will serve as the main crew for this test flight. NASA also said a short mission with two astronaut test pilots is enough to meet all flight test goals. However, the agency added that this mission could be extended or shortened based on the station’s staffing needs. For example, NASA said it could add an astronaut and extend the mission if necessary.
Based on internal NASA schedules, it appears that the agency may opt for a shorter six-day flight. Under a revised schedule this week, the Starliner test flight showed a launch date of December 8, with subsequent docking at the space station from December 9 to December 14.
This history is far from rock-solid. It is being changed for several reasons, including an ongoing review of data from Starliner’s first test flight in May, as well as the availability of a docking port on the space station. However, the appearance of such a date in the timeline now points to a reasonable chance that Starliner will make a second flight this year.
NASA spokesman Josh Finch said the agency was not ready to set an official launch date for the Boeing flight test.
“Boeing is working on ready-made equipment to support the company’s manned flight test this year,” Finch said. The Starliner team is working to provide NASA with the first unmanned flight test data and to jointly identify preparations for a manned flight. Technical and program reviews continue, culminating in an evaluation of the late-July launch schedule based on spacecraft readiness, space station planning needs, and eastern range availability.”
After this review, Finch said, NASA plans to provide a status update, which will likely include a launch target.
One of the most important factors is the provision of the docking port. There are two ports on the space station equipped with an “international docking adapter,” which will be shared by SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, Cargo Dragon 2, and Starliner. In the summer and fall, NASA currently has three SpaceX mission flights that will use these ports: the CRS-25 and -26 cargo missions and the Crew-5 launch. The docking port is currently available from December 1 to January 14. Next, SpaceX’s CRS-27 charging mission needs a spare port.
Assuming there is no other major launch coupon for SpaceX vehicles, and assuming Starliner gets a clean bill of health from its data review, this is likely a window when Boeing and NASA go on the next Starliner flight.
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