WASHINGTON, September 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — NASA has added two astronauts to the agency’s Boeing Starliner-1 launch to the International Space Station, the spacecraft’s first mission after completing flight testing and certification.
Astronauts Scott Tingle and mike fincke of NASA will serve as the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft commander and pilot, respectively, for the mission. Both astronauts have previously flown as crew members aboard the space station.
NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps remains assigned as a mission specialist on Starliner-1. Epps also continues cross-training on the Dragon spacecraft to protect against further flight opportunities.
The agency’s Starliner crew rotation missions to the space station will carry four crew members at a time. Future crew assignments for Starliner-1 will be made after review and approval by the agency and its international partners.
Starliner-1 will launch after successful completion of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT), which aims to demonstrate Starliner’s ability to earn NASA certification and safely fly regular crewed missions to the space station. .
Boeing aims to launch its first test flight with astronauts early February 2023, pending approval of the space station program, rocket manifesto and confirmation by the Eastern Channel. Starliner will launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
After a successful CFT mission, NASA will begin the final process of certifying the Starliner spacecraft and systems for future crewed missions to the space station under the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.
For more than 21 years, astronauts have lived and worked aboard the space station, testing technologies, doing science and developing the skills needed to explore further from Earth. Regular rotational commercial crew missions allow NASA to continue the important research and technology research taking place aboard the station and prepare for future commercial destinations in low Earth orbit. As part of Artemis, NASA will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future human exploration of Mars. Inspiring the next generation of explorers – the Artemis generation – ensures that America will continue to lead space exploration and discovery.
Learn more about the NASA Commercial Crew Program at:
http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
SOURCENASA
