Two months since Boeing and NASA’s joint press conference, where they disclosed a significant delay in the Starliner Crewed Flight Test mission, a timetable for the potential launch of CFT has now emerged. It looks like SpaceX will end up covering crew rotation for a little bit longer.
Starliner now ready by March
During a recent update press conference, Boeing executives revealed their expectation that Starliner will be ready for launch no earlier than March 2024. This adjustment comes in the wake of the company’s initial plan to attempt Starliner’s inaugural crewed mission last July, a plan that was subsequently delayed due to safety concerns.
However, the March timeline presented by Boeing and NASA may not be cast in stone either, as Starliner must still await an available slot in the International Space Station’s schedule. Typically, Roscosmos conducts crew rotations in early spring, potentially causing Starliner to remain grounded until those operations are complete.
As a result, the inaugural Starliner-1 mission, Boeing’s first operational crew rotation, might be postponed until 2025. While SpaceX managed the transition from DM-2 to Crew-1 within a few months, theoretically implying that Boeing could achieve certification for a subsequent fall crew rotation, this would hinge on a series of successful outcomes for Boeing, something that has been elusive of late.
Should Boeing’s Starliner-1 launch not materialize until 2025, NASA would still benefit from five years of the redundancy that the agency initially sought.
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ISS crew rotations through 2030 (expected)
| Year | Spring | Fall |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | SpaceX Crew-6 | SpaceX Crew-7 |
| 2024 | SpaceX Crew-8 Boeing CFT | SpaceX Crew-9 |
| 2025 | Boeing Starliner-1 | SpaceX Crew-10 |
| 2026 | Boeing Starliner-2 | SpaceX Crew-11 |
| 2027 | Boeing Starliner-3 | SpaceX Crew-12 |
| 2028 | Boeing Starliner-4 | SpaceX Crew-13 |
| 2029 | Boeing Starliner-5 | SpaceX Crew-14 |
| 2030 | Boeing Starliner-6 |
Considering the extensions to their contract thus far, SpaceX is slated to carry out more than double the number of missions as compared to Boeing. However, uncertainties persist regarding the nature of potential missions during the decommissioning timeline of the International Space Station.
Tap removal and parachute retest
During the last update, it was disclosed that Starliner has encountered safety concerns pertaining to a section of its parachute system and the tape utilized to shield wiring throughout the vehicle. Subsequent to Monday’s press conference, Boeing shared the steps they have taken to address these issues.
The “soft links” in Starliner’s parachute system have undergone a redesign and are presently undergoing testing, as shared by Steve Stich, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program Manager. The testing regimen will culminate in an early 2024 drop test, which serves as the primary determinant for the slated March launch of CFT.
Regarding the tape issue, Boeing has already removed 85% of it from the lower section of the spacecraft, with the remaining portions situated in areas where removal would prove too challenging or potentially damaging. In regions where removal is not feasible, protective barriers and coatings will be applied to mitigate the potential fire hazard it poses.
Meanwhile, SpaceX is gearing up for its seventh operational crew rotation, with the crew for its eighth rotation recently announced.
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