Boeing Starliner (CST-100) CFT mission discussion thread : June-September 2024

[catdlr]

[meekGee]

https://twitter.com/BoeingSpace/status/1780164803480203599

Do they mean that this vehicle is history?
(Sorry...  Mean for no reason...)

[ddspaceman]

NASA's Johnson Space Center
@NASA_Johnson
The dynamic duo is heading to the @Space_Station!🛰️

On this week’s #HWHAP, NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test Commander Butch Wilmore and Pilot Suni Williams discuss their astronaut journeys and preparation to be the first humans to fly Starliner. https://go.nasa.gov/3JqsUWb

https://twitter.com/NASA_Johnson/status/1781339254041239728

[Robert_the_Doll]

https://twitter.com/Commercial_Crew/status/1781041801555493170

Today, the program gave its "go for launch" following its Flight Test Readiness Review for @BoeingSpace's Crew Flight Test mission.

This is another step on the path to launch and the next Flight Test Readiness Review will be completed April 25, with a media telecon at 6pm ET.

[ddspaceman]

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test Astronauts Enter Quarantine for Mission

Elyna Niles-Carnes Posted on April 22, 2024

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who are set to launch to the International Space Station on Monday, May 6, entered pre-flight quarantine in preparation for the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test mission.

Flight crew health stabilization is a standard process ahead of any human spaceflight mission to ensure the health and safety of the crew prior to liftoff, as well as prevent sickness of the astronauts at the space station. During quarantine, astronaut contact is limited, and most interactions are remote – although family and some launch team members also may be in quarantine or cleared before interacting with the crew.

Wilmore and Williams will launch aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on a ULA (United Launch Alliance) Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The duo will make history as the first people to fly on the Starliner spacecraft.

Wilmore and Williams will quarantine at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston before traveling to the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida no earlier than Thursday, April 25, where they’ll remain in quarantine until launch.

Meanwhile, teams also are preparing for the Flight Test Readiness Review, which will take place over the course of two days – Wednesday, April 24, and April 25. That review brings together teams from NASA, Boeing, ULA, and its international partners to verify mission readiness including all systems, facilities, and teams that will support the end-to-end test of the Starliner.

Following a successful flight test, NASA will begin certifying the Starliner system for regular crew rotation missions to space station for the agency.

Launch is scheduled no earlier than 10:34 p.m. EDT May 6.

https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/2024/04/22/nasas-boeing-crew-flight-test-astronauts-enter-quarantine-for-mission/

The official crew portrait for NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test. Left is Suni Williams, who will serve as the pilot, and to the right is Barry “Butch” Wilmore, spacecraft commander. Photo credit: NASA

[Ken the Bin]

From the USCG District 17 weekly Local Notice to Mariners that came out this morning.

https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/lnms/LNM17172024.pdf

This notice is for spacecraft reentry.

PACIFIC OCEAN – HAZARD TO NAVIGATION – SPACECRAFT REENTRY DEBRIS
The Boeing CST-100 Starliner Crewed Flight Test mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch no earlier than May 7th, 2024 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Spacecraft landing is expected to take place at Wilcox Playa in Arizona on May 16th, 2024. The backup landing site is White Sands Space Harbor or Range Road 26 in New Mexico on May 17th, 2024. A longer mission length is under consideration which may shift the landing to Wilcox Play in Arizona on May 20th, 2024 with a backup date and locations on May 21st, 2024 at White Sands Space Harbor or Range Road 26 in New Mexico. During reentry the CST-100 Starliner Crew Module will separate from the Service Module, re-enter the atmosphere, and land at the designated Continental United States landing site. The Service Module will re-enter the atmosphere creating space debris that may present a hazard to vessels in the Pacific Ocean during the following times and hazard areas:

First Service Module Reentry Opportunity:
16044Z-160145Z May 2024
Point 1: 19°43’N, 125°06’W
Point 2: 17°22’N, 121°58’W
Point 3: 03°11’S, 137°21’W
Point 4: 00°59’S, 140°24’W

Second Service Module Reentry Opportunity:
170804Z-170905Z May 2024
Point 1: 49°12’N, 132°49’W
Point 2: 47°00’N, 134°15’W
Point 3: 50°41’N, 170°48’W
Point 4: 52°03’N, 170°59’W
Point 5: 53°10’N, 166°40’W

Third Service Module Reentry Opportunity:
200713Z-200814Z May 2024
Point 1: 46°22’N, 129°02’W
Point 2: 44°00’N, 130°56’W
Point 3: 50°46’N, 167°28’W
Point 4: 52°58’N, 167°23’W
Point 5: 53°28’N, 165°40’W

Fourth Service Module Reentry Opportunity:
200623Z-210724Z May 2024
Point 1: 49°12’N, 132°49’W
Point 2: 47°00’N, 134°15’W
Point 3: 50°41’N, 170°48’W
Point 4: 52°03’N, 170°59’W
Point 5: 53°10’N, 166°40’W

Mariners are advised to remain clear of these areas for the duration of operations. Questions/concerns should be directed to the appropriate Coast Guard Command Center.
District 14 (Hawaii) Command Center at (808) 535-3333 or [email protected].
District 13 (Washington) Command Center at (206) 220-7004 or [email protected].

[ddspaceman]

NASA, Boeing Crew Fly Jet to Florida for Starliner Launch

Elyna Niles-Carnes Posted on April 25, 2024

The two NASA astronauts that will fly aboard a new spacecraft for the first time to the International Space Station are on their way on Thursday to the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to begin final launch preparations.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are targeting 10:34 p.m. EDT Monday, May 6, for launch of the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

As retired U.S. Navy captains, Wilmore and Williams are flying on a T-38 jet from Ellington Field near NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston for the short flight to Kennedy’s Launch and Landing Facility.

At 1 p.m., NASA will host a crew arrival event at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with the following participants:

    Jennifer Kunz, associate director, NASA Kennedy
    Dana Hutcherson, deputy manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
    NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore
    NASA astronaut Suni Williams

https://blogs.nasa.gov/boeing-crew-flight-test/2024/04/25/nasa-boeing-crew-fly-jet-to-florida-for-starliner-launch/

Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams in T-38 pre-flight activities at Ellington Field on Tuesday, August 16, 2022. Photo credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz

[ddspaceman]

International Space Station
@Space_Station
.@NASA_Astronauts Butch Wilmore  and Suni Williams arrive at @NASAKennedy prepping for their May 6 launch to the space station aboard @BoeingSpace's #Starliner spacecraft.

https://twitter.com/Space_Station/status/1783545344493776957

[Targeteer]

https://twitter.com/AstroIronMike/status/1783557592528072821

[centaurinasa]

The Flight Test Readiness Review for @NASA’s @BoeingSpace Crew Flight Test mission to the @Space_Station has concluded.
Teams are "go" for launch at 10:34pm ET May 6 from SLC-41.
Tune in at 4:30pm ET for a media teleconference: https://go.nasa.gov/3UiLaWu

https://twitter.com/Commercial_Crew/status/1783584268859359678

[Yellowstone10]

From the USCG District 17 weekly Local Notice to Mariners that came out this morning.

https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/lnms/LNM17172024.pdf

This notice is for spacecraft reentry.

Ascending node entry on the first opportunity, descending nodes for the other three. (Also the warning area for the service module reentry is about 165 miles wide by 1650 miles long.)

[ChrisC]

International Space Station: NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore  and Suni Williams arrive at NASAKennedy prepping for their May 6 launch to the space station aboard BoeingSpace's Starliner spacecraft.

Youtube version of their arrival at KSC:


Post Flight Test Readiness Review media telecon:

[ddspaceman]

NASA Astronauts
@NASA_Astronauts
👋 Welcome to our spacecraft!

Get an inside glimpse into the Boeing Mission Trainer (BMT) at @NASA_Johnson, one of the #Starliner simulators that has prepared the Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT) @NASA_Astronauts for their upcoming journey to @Space_Station.

Commanded by Butch Wilmore and piloted by @Astro_Suni, this mission is set to make history with a launch scheduled no earlier than May 6! 💫

https://twitter.com/NASA_Astronauts/status/1783926881860858299

[ddspaceman]

Ed Van Cise
@Carbon_Flight
A very successful mission dress rehearsal is complete! This was the last integrated training event before launch. I was fortunate to be able to observe the crew with @AstroIronMike while @Saturn_Flight led the MCC activities. Go #Starliner! Go CFT!

https://twitter.com/Carbon_Flight/status/1783935061030543622

[TJL]

It was pretty awesome to see a flight crew once again flying into KSC in their T-38 jets.
If I remember correctly, T-38's were used to ferry crews from Ellington to Kennedy until Columbia STS-107.
I believe NASA Gulfstream was used from STS-114 through STS-135 and for all the SpaceX Dragon flights.
Please correct me if I'm wrong...thank you.

[JEF_300]

It was pretty awesome to see a flight crew once again flying into KSC in their T-38 jets.
If I remember correctly, T-38's were used to ferry crews from Ellington to Kennedy until Columbia STS-107.
I believe NASA Gulfstream was used from STS-114 through STS-135 and for all the SpaceX Dragon flights.
Please correct me if I'm wrong...thank you.

I thought they used the T-38 for the Dragon CFT, but I could be totally misremembering that.

[TJL]

It was pretty awesome to see a flight crew once again flying into KSC in their T-38 jets.
If I remember correctly, T-38's were used to ferry crews from Ellington to Kennedy until Columbia STS-107.
I believe NASA Gulfstream was used from STS-114 through STS-135 and for all the SpaceX Dragon flights.
Please correct me if I'm wrong...thank you.

I thought they used the T-38 for the Dragon CFT, but I could be totally misremembering that.

No, Doug and Bob flew in on the Gulfstream.

[Comga]

Over in the SpaceX Transporter 12 thread there is a post that ends with

(snip)
Also the FAA will now prevent Inversion's Ray satellite being launched until it has a reentry license.

and links to a Space New article by Jeff Foust dated April 18.
The article in turn links to the FAA Commercial Space Data page.
This includes the attached graph with the number of reentry licenses starting when in "December 2010, Dragon became the first commercially built and operated spacecraft to be recovered successfully from orbit."
That implies that SpaceX needed and obtained reentry licenses for the NASA COTS and CCTS flights.

The article also says

The FAA currently lists only two active reentry licenses, one for Varda and the other for SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft.

Why would Boeing not be on that list? 
They must have obtained them for OFT-1 and OFT-2.
Could Boeing not have had a reentry license for CFT as of last week?

[ulm_atms]

Over in the SpaceX Transporter 12 thread there is a post that ends with

(snip)
Also the FAA will now prevent Inversion's Ray satellite being launched until it has a reentry license.

and links to a Space New article by Jeff Foust dated April 18.
The article in turn links to the FAA Commercial Space Data page.
This includes the attached graph with the number of reentry licenses starting when in "December 2010, Dragon became the first commercially built and operated spacecraft to be recovered successfully from orbit."
That implies that SpaceX needed and obtained reentry licenses for the NASA COTS and CCTS flights.

The article also says

The FAA currently lists only two active reentry licenses, one for Varda and the other for SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft.

Why would Boeing not be on that list? 
They must have obtained them for OFT-1 and OFT-2.
Could Boeing not have had a reentry license for CFT as of last week?

Hum....  In looking, they don't have a launch license either.  I bet the two are technically linked and will be issued at the same time right before launch.

[ddspaceman]

Col. Mike Fincke
@AstroIronMike
🚀The launch pad is buzzing! Our rocket and spacecraft are in final prep stages for the upcoming #Starliner mission. Meanwhile, the crew is using VR for last-minute training—ensuring every detail is mastered. Join us as we count down to a groundbreaking journey.  Go Starliner! 🚀 @NASA @BoeingSpace @Space_Station  ULA

https://twitter.com/AstroIronMike/status/1785705864839528530