NASA and Boeing have approved the Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT) to the ISS after multiple delays. This decision followed a thorough review at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.
The review confirmed that all systems, facilities, and support teams are ready for the CFT mission, ensuring a smooth and safe launch.
The CFT mission is a crucial milestone for Boeing's Starliner, carrying NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams to the ISS for a two-week stay, then returning to land in the southwestern U.S.
Boeing's Starliner is set for its maiden human test flight on Saturday, June 1, at 9:55 PM IST.
The crew returned to Kennedy Space Center on May 28 and will stay in quarantine at the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building until the launch to ensure their health and safety.
The mission faced delays due to a valve issue on the Atlas V rocket and a helium leak in the Starliner spacecraft, causing a scrubbed launch on May 6. These issues have now been resolved.
If issues arise, NASA has backup launch windows on June 2, June 5, and June 6. The launch will take place from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The success of the CFT mission will enable regular crew rotations to the ISS, advancing NASA's commercial crew program significantly.
On her third mission, Sunita Williams will pilot the Starliner as part of the CFT mission to certify it for human transport, alongside SpaceX's Crew Dragon. The spacecraft, named Calypso, can operate autonomously or be manually controlled and is expected to dock with the ISS.