Starliner undergoing three independent investigations as flight slips to 2024
Enlarge / The Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft is seen landing in this 30-second exposure in 2019. (credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)
A Boeing official said Monday that the company has delayed a crewed flight test of its Starliner spacecraft until at least March 2024.
The manager for the company's Commercial Crew Program, Mark Nappi, said the spacecraft should be ready for flight by early March, or seven months from now. However, Nappi said that date is conditional on availability of an Atlas V rocket, provided by United Launch Alliance, and an opening in NASA's visiting vehicles schedule.
According to NASA's internal schedule, there is a docking port available from early April to late June 2024 on the International Space Station. So barring a schedule change to delay a cargo mission, the likely no-earlier-than launch date for Starliner's crewed test flight is April 2024.