Boeing Starliner-1 facts for kids
Boeing Starliner-1 is an important space mission. It is also known as Post Certification Mission-1 (PCM-1). This mission will be the first time the Boeing Starliner spacecraft carries a crew of astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) for a regular mission. It is part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program.
This mission was originally planned to happen after a test flight called the Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT). However, the CFT had some technical problems. Because of these issues, the launch date for Starliner-1 is not yet known. It is expected to launch no earlier than early 2026.
Artist's impression of a Boeing Starliner docking to the ISS
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| Names |
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|---|---|
| Mission type | ISS crew transport |
| Operator | Boeing Defense, Space & Security |
| Mission duration | 180 days (planned) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Boeing Starliner Spacecraft 2 |
| Spacecraft type | Boeing Starliner |
| Manufacturer | Boeing Defense, Space & Security |
| Launch mass | 13,000 kg (29,000 lb) |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 4 |
| Members |
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| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | TBD |
| Rocket | Atlas V N22 |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 |
| Contractor | United Launch Alliance |
| End of mission | |
| Landing site | TBD |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Inclination | 51.66° |
| Docking with ISS | |
| Docking port | Harmony forward or zenith |
| Time docked | 180 days (planned) |
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Commercial Crew Program
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Who Will Fly on Starliner-1?
The astronauts for Starliner-1 have changed several times. This is because the Starliner program has faced many delays.
In 2022, NASA said that Barry Wilmore, Michael Fincke, and Sunita Williams were possible astronauts for Starliner missions. Later, Sunita Williams was assigned to the Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT) instead.
On September 30, 2022, Scott D. Tingle was chosen as the commander for Starliner-1. Michael Fincke was assigned as the pilot.
Then, on November 22, 2023, Joshua Kutryk from the Canadian Space Agency joined the mission. Kimiya Yui from Japan was also expected to be on board.
However, on March 27, 2025, Michael Fincke and Kimiya Yui were moved to a different mission, SpaceX Crew-11. This happened because of ongoing tests with the Starliner spacecraft after the technical issues during the Boeing Crew Flight Test.
Other astronauts who were once assigned to Starliner-1 also moved to different missions. For example, Jeanette Epps was reassigned to SpaceX Crew-8. Koichi Wakata was reassigned to the SpaceX Crew-5 mission.
A Russian cosmonaut is not expected to be on this first regular Starliner flight. The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, wants to see successful Starliner flights first.
| Position | Crew member | |
|---|---|---|
| Commander |  Scott D. Tingle, NASASecond spaceflight |
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| Pilot | TBA | |
| Mission Specialist |  Joshua Kutryk, CSAFirst spaceflight |
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| Mission Specialist | TBA | |
What is the Mission About?
This mission was planned to be the first time a Starliner spacecraft would be reused. The spacecraft first flew without a crew in December 2019. This was called the Boeing Orbital Flight Test.
On December 22, 2019, astronaut Sunita Williams named that spacecraft "Calypso." However, "Calypso" was later used for the Boe-CFT instead.
For the Starliner-1 mission, a different spacecraft will be used. This is Boeing Starliner Spacecraft 2, which flew during the Starliner Orbital Flight Test-2.
The path for Starliner to be fully approved by NASA has become uncertain. This is due to various technical problems during the Boeing Crew Flight Test. NASA even decided it was too risky to bring astronauts back to Earth on the Starliner during that test. It is possible that Boeing might need to do another crewed test flight. This would cause more delays for Starliner-1.
See also
In Spanish: Boeing Starliner-1 para niños
