Boeing to Launch First Starliner Astronaut Mission for NASA in May 2024

Critical Test Flight to Demonstrate Crew Transportation Capability

Launch Scheduled for May 6, 2024; Liftoff Time Set for 12:25 PM Eastern

Boeing is preparing to launch its first-ever Starliner astronaut mission for NASA as early as May 6, 2024. This critical test flight will be a crucial opportunity for Boeing to demonstrate its spacecraft's ability to safely transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

The launch window opens on May 6 and extends through May 22. If all goes well, the Atlas V rocket carrying the Starliner capsule will lift off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 12:25 PM Eastern Time.

The Starliner launch campaign will begin 45 days before liftoff when United Launch Alliance, the rocket's operator, starts stacking the Atlas V at Space Launch Complex 41.

The mission, designated CST-100 Starliner Flight Test-2 (OFT-2), will carry two NASA astronauts, Scott Tingle and Mike Fincke, to the International Space Station. The astronauts will spend about a month conducting tests and evaluations on the Starliner before returning to Earth.