The mission, known as Crew Flight Test (CFT), is now slated for no earlier than mid-April 2024, with no specified reason provided for the shift.
In the latest update, NASA announced a one-month delay for the much-anticipated inaugural crewed flight of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft
Initially, NASA and Boeing had set their sights on early March 2024 for CFT, which will ferry NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to and from the International Space Station (ISS) for a vital shakeout cruise. However, this target date was an anticipated readiness timeframe and not an official launch date. Delays have plagued the mission due to various technical setbacks, including issues with the spacecraft’s wiring and parachute system. This follows the OFT-2 mission in May 2022, which marked Boeing CST-100 Starliner’s second launch but the first successful journey to and from the ISS.
The target for the maiden operational flight of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner, designated as Starliner-1, has been moved from summer 2024 to early 2025
NASA’s recent release also confirmed mid-February 2024 as the launch target for SpaceX’s Crew-8 mission, with a named crew of four members. Notably, a tenth “crew rotation mission” is anticipated for early 2025, which could potentially be SpaceX’s Crew-10 or Boeing CST-100 Starliner-1, the first operational crewed flight to the ISS.
This adjusted timeline for Boeing CST-100 Starliner-1 reflects the necessity to assess results from CFT, incorporating valuable insights and final certifications before the mission’s execution. Boeing CST-100 Starliner and NASA had initially aimed for a summer 2024 launch for Starliner-1, but adjustments were deemed essential for a thorough evaluation of mission readiness and certification.