After two uncrewed flight tests and years of delays due to technical issues, NASA announced today that the first manned Boeing Starliner Crew Capsule now has a launch date. NASA’s Phil McAlister said today during a NASA Advisory Council Committee meeting that Starliner is on track to launch aboard an Atlas V rocket on April 14, 2024 from Cape Canaveral. Backup opportunities are available April 15th and 18th.
Photo: Chris Leymarie/FMN
The launch is slated to make history as the first American-made crew capsule to be recovered on land and the first crewed launch from the Cape Canaveral side since Apollo 7 in October of 1968. Astronauts Barry Wilmore and Suni Williams will be taking the big ride.
Starliner Calypso, which previously flew on OFT-1 in December of 2019, will be the first reused Starliner vehicle in the fleet.
The mission profile for the April launch includes docking with the ISS for 8 days. This will allow what NASA hopes is adequate testing of the vehicle and docking procedures. The vehicle will be recovered at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
Issues with the vehicle’s wiring and parachutes have previously caused significant delays in the program. A remaining obstacle to launch readiness for the April mission is the completion of a parachute drop test in January.
