NASA, Boeing to Discuss Readiness of Uncrewed Flight Test

The Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft is lifted at the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex-41 at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on May 4, 2022. Starliner will be secured atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for Boeing’s second Orbital Flight Test (OFT-2) to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The spacecraft rolled out from Boeing’s Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center earlier in the day.Credits: NASA/Frank Michaux

NASA and Boeing will hold a media teleconference at about 6 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, May 11, following the Flight Readiness Review for the agency’s Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2), the second uncrewed flight test of the company’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft for the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

Audio of the teleconference will stream live on the agency’s website.

The teleconference will focus on the readiness of the flight test and is targeted to begin approximately one hour after the readiness review concludes with the following participants:

  • Kathryn Lueders, associate administrator, NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate
  • Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program 
  • Joel Montalbano, manager, NASA’s International Space Station Program
  • Emily Nelson, acting chief flight director, NASA’s Flight Operations Directorate  
  • Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Boeing Commercial Crew Program  

Media wishing to participate in the teleconference must RSVP by 5 p.m., Wednesday, May 11, by emailing the newsroom at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at: [email protected]. A copy of NASA’s media accreditation policy is online.

OFT-2 is targeted to launch at 6:54 p.m. Thursday, May 19, from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Starliner will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for its uncrewed test to the International Space Station.

Starliner is expected to arrive at the space station for docking about 24 hours after launch with more than 500 pounds of NASA cargo and crew supplies. After a successful docking, Starliner will spend five to 10 days aboard the orbiting laboratory before returning to Earth in the western United States. The spacecraft will return with nearly 600 pounds of cargo, including reusable Nitrogen Oxygen Recharge System (NORS) tanks that provide breathable air to station crew members.

More details about the flight test and NASA’s commercial crew program can be found by following the commercial crew blog, as well as on Twitter and Facebook.

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TNC

Rod Washington:  Rod is a blogger, writer, filmmaker, photographer, daydreamer who likes to cook. Rod produces and directs the web series, CUPIC: Diary of an Investigator. He also produces news and documentary video projects. Check out his podcast StoriesThisMoment at https://m3e.d71.myftpupload.com/stm-tncn-podcasts/