NASA’s Commercial Crew office released its high-level plan for 2025 today. It has few surprises, with two SpaceX Commercial Crew missions, and offers the slightest of updates for Boeing’s Starliner program and holds out the possibility of a Starliner flight next year.
SpaceX Commercial Crew Flights in 2025
Crew 9 lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 on September 28, 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Crew-10 NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission is scheduled for February 2025.
NASA Astronaut Anne McClain will be the mission commander, NASA Astronaut Nichole Ayers will be the pilot mission specialists JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov will be the mission specialists. This mission will be the second spaceflight for McClain and Onishi, and the first for Ayers and Peskov.
Crew-11 NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 is targeted for no earlier than July of next year, but that may be adjusted because of operational needs — resupply missions on docking ports, etc. NASA will announce the four-person crew at a later date.
There is speculation that the two members of Crew-9 who were taken off the flight to accommodate Boeing Starliner Crewed Flight Test astronauts will be assigned to this flight, but at this point in time, that is just rumor and has no basis in official facts released by the agency.
Stephanie Wilson and Zena Cardman were deep into the training cycle for the Crew-9, which presumably gives them a headstart. Still, ultimately, Chief of the Astronaut Office Joe Acaba and other NASA officials will make the call. When that information will be released to the public is unknown.
Boeing Starliner
Starliner CST-100 in launch preparation, May 31, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Here is where today’s release gets really interesting: NASA says that, “The timing and configuration of Starliner’s next flight will be determined once a better understanding of Boeing’s path to system certification is established. This determination will include considerations for incorporating Crew Flight Test lessons learned, approvals of final certification products, and operational readiness.”
“Meanwhile, NASA is keeping options on the table for how best to achieve system certification, including windows of opportunity for a potential Starliner flight in 2025.”
To fly in 2025, Boeing and its contractors will need to fix the issues that dogged the Crewed Flight Test this year, namely overheating thrusters, helium leaks, and potentially degraded seals (this was seen in ground testing during the investigations of Starliner CFT).
To do that, Boeing and NASA engineers must finalize their data analyses if they still need to do so. From there, Boeing and its subcontractors can begin designing and fabricating any hardware changes and qualifying those for human spaceflight. Externally, Boeing seems optimistic that they can do those things in 2025. Whether that happens remains to be seen, given that aerospace projects are often delayed.
Starliner ‘Calypso’ on its way to the launch pad earlier this year. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
NASA announced today that Starliner will undock from the International Space Station September 6th and return to Earth September 7th.
Starliner launched on June 5th for what was originally planned to be an eight day mission. Since that time, Boeing, NASA and Aerojet Rocketdyne have been assessing issues with Starliner’s service module thrusters and working towards a decision whether to return with or without Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, the two NASA astronauts who launched aboard the spacecraft.
The decision was made last week to return Starliner uncrewed and today’s announcement sets the stage for the end of Boeing’s part of the Starliner Crewed Flight Test. Williams and Wilmore remain aboard ISS, and will join Crew-9’s roster when it arrives at Station in late September. That mission will be flown using a SpaceX Crew Dragon.
NASA and Boeing concluded a detailed Delta-Flight Test Readiness Review on Thursday, polling “go” to process with undocking of the uncrewed Starliner spacecraft no earlier than 6:04 p.m. EDT of Friday, Sept. 6, from the International Space Station, pending weather and operational readiness.
After undocking, Starliner will take about six hours to reach the landing zone at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico. The spacecraft will touch down about 12:03 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7, descending under parachutes and with inflated airbags to cushion the impact. Recovery teams at the landing will safe and prepare the spacecraft for a return to Boeing’s Starliner factory at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Starliner CST-100 in launch preparation, May 31, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
NASA announced late yesterday that the agency will conduct the long-awaited Readiness Review for Boeing’s Starliner Crewed Flight Test on Saturday, August 24th. In that Review, the readiness of Starliner to return to Earth with astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will be analyzed by NASA leadership and a decision as to how the Starliner CFT mission will be ended may finally be made.
Also in the announcement, NASA said that they will hold a press conference shortly after the Readiness Review ostensibly to announce and discuss their descision.
What Will Be Decided?
NASA’s choice seems to be a simple one on the surface: return the astronauts in the Starliner capsule or eventually return them on a SpaceX Crew Dragon while Starliner returns to Earth autonomously.
The date of the Readiness Review has been delayed while NASA analyzed data from Boeing, Aerojet Rocketdyne and its own scientists and engineers, saying at the time that they needed the extra time for a more thorough analysis and more testing.
Ken Bowersox Photo: NASA
Last week, NASA’s Ken Bowersox, Associate Administrator of the Space Operations Mission Directorate said that NASA has the luxury of time on its side in order to come to a consensus on whether to return Williams and Wilmore to Earth on Starliner or in a Crew Dragon. “A flight readiness review around the end of next week, potentially beginning of the following week,” he said.
“We can juggle things and make things work if we need to extend, but it’s getting a lot harder,” Bowersox said. With the consumables we’re using, with, the need for the use of the ports for cargo missions, we’re reaching a point where that last week in August, we really should be making a call, if not sooner.”
The Crew Flight Test launched on June 5 on a ULA (United Launch Alliance) Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Designed to be an end-to-end test of the Starliner system, the flight was originally announced to be an eight-day mission, but by the time of its review it will have reached 80 days.
Boeing’s Starliner and Service Module in May. Photo: Charles Boyer, Talk of Titusville
The neverending story of the Boeing Starliner Test Flight continues, and NASA held a press briefing today to update the press and the public about progress toward resolving the troubled test flight. The news, in two words, is “no news.”
NASA is still studying Starliner data, still working to understand exactly what the current and future situation is with Starliner and whether it is safe to return the two astronauts aboard the spacecraft. Meanwhile, parallel work on other options continues: software changes are in process, and NASA and SpaceX are still determining the best way to return the Boeing CFT astronauts on Crew Dragon.
While there was decision announced today, the tone and tenor of NASA officials suggested that on may well be coming soon, as the port Starliner is currently docked at will soon be needed for other missions.
In parallel to data analysis and risk assessments of Starliner, NASA is working on testing and then updating Starliner’s software to fly autonomously, if needed, is continuing to develop plans to return the crew on Crew Dragon, and preparing for CFT astronauts to become Expedition Crew in the meantime. The astronauts are healthy and fine, are integrated into ISS activities and workloads, and say they are relying on ground controllers to make the right call.
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams aboard ISS. Photo: NASA
While NASA continues their analysis and deliberations behind the scenes even though it looks like nothing much is going on from an outside perspective. That’s far from the case as mission managers, scientists and engineers from across the spectrum of NASA’s technology portfolio and from Boeing and associated contractors are working on this issue. In short, don’t be fooled by the quiet on the surface and any lack of announcements, NASA is conducting a thorough analysis as quickly as possible.
“We don’t have any major announcements today.”
The press conference opened with Ken Bowersox, a former astronaut and the associate administrator for NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate stating plainly that, “We don’t have any major announcements today.” In other words, no decision on how and when Starliner Crewed Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will return to Earth.
Bowersox also said, “Our technical experts are all busy, diving deeply into all the data that’s been generated over the past few weeks, going through the feedback of new, propulsion system experts that have been brought in, looking at planning for our return options and, preparing for, some decision points that are ahead, at the program control board, and eventually a flight Readiness Review.”
That date of that Readiness Review has been shifted right, with Bowersox saying, “A flight readiness review around the end of next week, potentially beginning of the following week.” He added that NASA has the luxury of time on its side in order to come to a consensus, conclusion and a final decision, but that time is starting to run out.
When asked about the extended presence of Starliner on one of the very few docking ports at ISS, Bowersox said, “We can juggle things and make things work if we need to extend, but it’s getting a lot harder. With the consumables we’re using, with, the need for the use of the ports for cargo missions, we’re reaching a point where that last week in August, we really should be making a call, if not sooner.”
Joe Acabá, Chief Of NASA’s Astronaut Office Comments
Joe Acabá, Chief of NASA’s Astronaut Office Photo: NASA
Joe Acabá gave the following remarks today: “We undergo rigorous training to prepare, both mentally and physically for the challenges that may arise during any given mission. This mission is a test flight, and as Butch and Suni expressed ahead of their launch, they knew this mission might not be perfect. Human spaceflight is inherently risky, and as astronauts, we accept that as part of the job.”
He continued, “Right now, the agency has taken the time to ensure we are not putting the crew at a higher risk than is necessary. And as astronauts, that’s always something worth waiting for. As Starliner’s first flight with crew, Butch and Suni gave the ground teams feedback and data on the spacecraft, both during the write-up and now docked to the International Space Station.”
“That added human element continues to be extremely helpful for our teams on the ground. Butch and Suni have also contributed to countless hours of science and research, which I know our ISS program is very thankful for.”
“As most of you know, Butch and Suni are very familiar with life aboard the space station. This is their third station mission for both of them.”
Butch Wilmore, speaking, and Suni Williams to his right when they arrived at Kennedy Space Center last spring. Photo: Charles Boyer, Talk of Titusville
“I do want to put this into perspective. If Butch and Suni do not come home on Starliner and they are kept aboard the station. They will have about eight months on orbit. We have done multiple successful long duration. Missions, even up to a year. Those missions have given us volumes of data about the effects of long duration spaceflight that we continue to use in space exploration.”
“As I assign crew members to a flight and before they launch, we discuss nominal and potential off nominal mission durations. They are always prepared. We are lucky to be in a time in human spaceflight where we have regular resupply missions, enabling the crews aboard the station to receive any extra supplies they may need, and where an eight month mission falls within our standard long duration mission timeframe.”
“I’ve talked to Butch and Suni a number of times throughout their stay, and they continue to be committed to the mission. They are proud to represent our nation, and they continue to show their readiness and resilience. We are proud of all of our current expedition crew aboard the International Space Station as we work through this process.”
“We are proud of the teams on the ground, and we know our CFT crew, Butch and Suni, will be ready to support the direction our agency chooses.”
NASA’s Steve Stich and Boeing’s Mark Nappi provided an update on the Starliner CFT flight today in a teleconference. They stated that while no return date has been set for astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to return aboard the spacecraft, the agency and Boeing are relatively close to a Readiness Review that must be conducted prior to Starliner undocking from ISS and returning to Earth. According to NASA, that review may come as soon as the end of next week — or August 2, 2024.
“I think we’re starting to close in on those final pieces of the flight rationale to make sure that we can come home safely,” said Steve Stich.
Below are in-depth comments given by Stich and Nappi.
Addressing Returning On SpaceX Crew Dragon
Steve Stich was asked what the backup plan was if Williams and Wilmore could not return on Starliner. “Obviously, the luxury in our program today, and we’ve never really had this option in other NASA programs, is we have two different systems that we’re flying,” Stich replied. “Obviously, the backup option is to use a different system. I would rather not go into all those details until we get to that time, if we ever get to that time on what we plan to do.
“The beauty of having Dragon and Starliner in two different diverse space transportation systems is we can kind of use those as backups someday. Starliner could be a backup to a Dragon mission, and we’ve looked at all kinds of different contingencies for that. You’ve seen the Russians send up an empty Soyuz, right, to return a crew when they had a coolant leak.”
“I think the beauty of what we have in commercial crew is two different systems, and we would employ those systems if we need to, but we really have our team focused on as we close in on this final flight rationale: returning, uh, Butch and Suni on Starliner,” said Stich.
When asked to clarify his remarks, Stich said, “Our prime option is to complete the mission. There is a lot of good reasons to complete this mission, and bring Butch and Suni home on Starliner. Starliner was designed as a spacecraft to have the crew in the cockpit. The crew is integral to the spacecraft.”
Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore prior to launching aboard Starliner. Photo: NASA
He added, “There’s a lot of objectives for the flight: having Butch and Suni on board during the deorbit burn and during the entry. Understanding how they monitor the system, how they work with the seat suit interface for landing, getting suited up in the vehicle. And then there’s a whole process of landing and recovery team that we really want to demonstrate before we get into [the] Starliner-1 mission.”
That said, Stich did not specifically rule out using Crew Dragon as a rescue vehicle, but he did make it clear that the current plan is to use Starliner to return the astronauts to Earth after a Readiness Review is completed.
NASA’s Steve Stich’s Comments
“We don’t have a major announcement today relative to a return date,” NASA’s program manager for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program said today at the opening of the press conference. He added, “We’re making great progress, but we’re just not quite ready to do that.”
Steve Stich, NASA program manager for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program in today’s press conference. Photo: from NASA livestream
Later, Stich added, “We’ll work to execute an agency review as soon as we’re ready to do that. That could be as early as late next week. We are following the data and we’ll schedule that review when we need to, and then after that, we’ll set the undock time.”
Parsing Stich’s comments, it is important to note that the agency review could be as soon as next week, but may be delayed further as mission managers and engineers review data from both the Crewed Flight Test Starliner in orbit — “Calypso” — and testing being conducted on the ground in New Mexico.
“I’ve said before, the key attributes of the flight rationale, really, are that we understand the helium leaks, we understand the stability of the leaks, and how we can manage those should they get bigger,” Stich said.
Stich also said that, “We have a criteria in place that we have established, a leak rate that will check before undock and verify that system is good to go.”
A test of Calypso’s thrusters will also be conducted this weekend, while the spacecraft remains docked to ISS. “The hot fire test this weekend will give us confidence in all the thrusters,” Stich said. “Then [we will have] the understanding coming out of White Sands relative to what that testing means and how it applies to the rest of the thruster system.”
The Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft is seen after it landed in White Sands, New Mexico, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2019. The landing completes an abbreviated Orbital Flight Test for the company that still meets several mission objectives for NASA’s Commercial Crew program. The Starliner spacecraft launched on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at 6:36 a.m. Friday, Dec. 20 from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Essentially, it sounds like Boeing and NASA will compare ground tests from White Sands to the results they get from Calypso while it is in orbit.
Stich gave further detail. “Really, it’s about the key use of the thrusters for the deorbit burn; that’s the next time we use them. We know the thermal environment is less for the deorbit burn. We know the stressing cases on the thrusters are less.”
Stich concluded his opening remarks by saying “That’s really, I think, the final pieces of the flight rationale that we need to put together. The team is doing great. The joint Boeing and NASA team is doing well. They’re working side by side with each other every day.”
Boeing’s Mark Nappi’s Comments
Nappi is the vice president and program manager of Boeing’s Commercial Crew Program. He leads the development, flight test, certification and missions of the Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 Starliner system.
Nappi opened his comments in today’s press conference by saying, “Last time we talked to you, we had 33 actions to complete in order to get to a place wherewe thought we had a good vehicle to come home and we could learn something about the root cause [of the thruster problems.] Of course, the long pull to those actions was all the testing at White Sands that Steve [Stich] talked about. At the time, we believed we had thrusters that were healthy, and we concluded we were good for emergency return.”
Boeing’s vice president and program manager of Boeing’s Commercial Crew Program in today’s press conference. Photo: NASA, from their livestream.
Nappi then went into further detail. “Remember, we said we did not have root cause and know what it was going to take to fix it permanently. So, we said, let’s take the time, let’s figure this out. Let’s run this testing at White Sands. If there’s anything more we can do after that testing while we’re docked to ISS, let’s take advantage of that, and then we’ll come home.”
“I think the plan has played out really well. In addition, it’s given us additional confidence to undock and return, and we have a little bit more work to do, as Steve has outlined.”
Nappi Gives A Thorough Breakdown Of Recent Activities
The following is a breakdown of Starliner’s status and testing that Mark Nappi provided today. While it is lengthy, readers may find it worthwhile to read in order to understand what has been done and what the current status of the spacecraft is.
“First of all, let’s start with the helium system. We have a service module at White Sands that was exposed to propellant. And it’s been exposed for about three years. So it was a really good test case to go and do some leak checks on and then take that hardware apart.”
“We did those leak checks. We found leaks. Of cours it’s been exposed to NTO [nitrogen tetroxide] for quite a while. We took the hardware apart, and we found pretty good degradation of the seals, which indicated that they had been exposed to NTO and degraded. So that was a really, really good data point, both from the standpoint of finding out that it had degraded seals.”
“But also we could capture a leak rate, which could end up being our worst case kind of leak rate, because this hardware was exposed for so long. On the second part of the testing, of course, was the thruster testing. Steve outlined that testing, but it was very stressful testing of that thruster through ATP uphill and approach and docking, some increased temperature profiles, um, and some very stressful downhill runs.”
“So all of that was done with the thruster, very heavily instrumented, which gave us a lot of. Information. From that information, and, of course, from theinspections after the test, we’ve determined two things. One is that there’s some teflon from a seal where the nto enters the thruster, and that seal was eroded.”
“And when we looked downstream from that seal, we found that material was lodged in a downstream filter. That is where the NTO goes through. Obviously, that restricts flow of Nto and may be part of the cause of the degradation that we’ve seen in flight. The bigger finding was where the nto goes through a port, to where it gets to the injector inside the thruster, and there’s a poppet that opens and closes and allows that nto to go through at the end of that poppet.”
“Very small poppet. It’s similar to the small inflation valve that you have on a car tire or a bike tire. That poppet has a Teflon seal at the end of it through the heating and the natural vacuum that occurs with the thruster firing. That poppet seal was deformed and actually bulged out a little bit, and again, was an indication that it’s restricting the nto from going through the system.
“So, again, a really good finding. When we looked at the information, we looked at the data, it really does replicate well what we’re seeing in flight. So we think these findings are very significant and are likely the root cause. Obviously, knowing root cause is what gets us to permanent fixes.”
“So there’s very strong evidence, and we’re going to continue to take that hardware apart so that we can finally prove this. Today we’re performing the final hardware inspections, and we’re doing some flow analysis through that type of valve arrangement where we have Teflon in the seal or, excuse me, Teflon in the filter, and this bulging of the Teflon at the end of the poppet.
And we’d like to see if we can model this restriction of nto and recreate what we’re seeing in flight. With all these test results we determined that we could run one more set of tests while we’re docked, and it’s really icing on the cake for us.
So, Steve talked about the one more docked hot fire test that’s going to verify all the thrusters are acceptable at the acceptable performance levels. Again, we learned something from this flight. We didn’t know that other visiting vehicles do this before they leave. And so we’re probably going to make that part of our normal regime when we are doing long duration missions.”
“Also, we’re going to do the helium manifold leak checks again. That will give us some data points on how stable the leaks are and assure there’s no additional NTO degradation. Lastly we have a very valuable guidance, navigation and control integrated performance model that was incorporating failures to answer the question, what if we’re wrong on some of these?”
“So they ran over 300 cases. And of all those cases, the results were either green, that we could return home safely or were determined to be not credible, or they had operational controls that could be applied to make sure that we returned home safely. So what’s next?”
“We’re going to share the data and flight rationale with the mission management team. We have one more meeting tomorrow to do that. We’ll use the weekend if required. We’re going to perform the stocking tests that we’ve described and then of course, there’ll be more reviews.”
“We’ll bring the complete story to the agency for the undoc review sometime next week, like Steve has outlined and then we’ll be ready to execute the last part of the mission. The last several weeks have been really helpful to understand the helium and thruster anomalies and how to address these problems for future flights.”
“That’s been the real goal here is to be able to address future flights and to gain the confidence that we needed for this mission. Weneed to take the time to get the community all this information and get back to completing the CFT mission. Our mission was to get the crew to ISS.”
“That’s been completed. Our mission was to learn from a flight test. A lot of the learning that we’ve achieved so far really, in my opinion, could only be achieved through the flight test. And now it’s time to get on with returning the crew safely. And there’s that step left to go.”
If you are interested, you can watch the entire press conference here:
I was not able to be present at Cape Canaveral for the actual launch of Starliner due to prior commitments and the two previous scrubs of the flight moving the schedule into the middle of another long-planned trip. Disappointing, but things happen. I was, however, able to capture a lot of the prelaunch activities:
Starliner capsule May 31, 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Totusville
If all goes well, at 12:25 PM EDT this afternoon, Boeing’s long-awaited Crewed Flight Test will lift of atop an Atlas V and on its way to low-Earth orbit. It will be the first time that Atlas V has carried crew, the first time at Starliner has carried crew, and the first crewed launch at Cape Canaveral in decades.
If all goes well.
Keep that in mind, as you hear mission controllers and official give details of the countdown as it proceeds.
Any rocket launch always has a long line of checkpoints, any of which can delay or even scrub the countdown. Until the rocket actually lifts off the pad, you can never be 100% certain that it is going to fly that day because everything has to work properly, or else mission controllers will wisely say, “We’re not going to space today.”
That is how it should be, and that’s how it will be today, especially with the lives of two astronauts at stake.
At the same time, the astronauts, engineers, technicians and staff at ULA, Boeing and NASA have diligently prepared for Starliner CFT, and they have tested, retested, and then tested again. They say the vehicle is ready. The astronauts say they are ready. And Space Station eagerly awaits their arrival, because Starliner was drafted at the last minute to carry a critical piece of hardware to the orbiting outpost.
Godspeed, Starliner.
Launch Time: 12:25 PM EDT.
Liftoff is scheduled for 12:25 PM EDT today, Saturday, June 1st.
The launch window is instantaneous, which means that Atlas V must lift off at its scheduled time, and that it cannot be delayed until later the same afternoon. This is normal for ISS launches because docking with the ISS requires efficiently matching the speed and position of the ISS, which moves at 7.7 km every second. Timing the launch to within a second greatly simplifies chasing down the orbiting outpost.
Starliner will be carried to orbit aboard an Atlas V N22, a crew-rated variant of the Atlas V 422. This version of Atlas V has two solid motor strap-on boosters with two liquid-fueled stages.
Trajectory: Northeast
As Starliner is planned to launch on a northeasterly trajectory, as is customary for ISS-bound launches. Space Coast residents may recall that previous SpaceX cargo resupply and Commercial Crew missions take the same path.
Launch viewers facing the Atlantic Ocean will see the rocket fly right-to-left as it ascends.
Weather: 90% Go, Winds Are A Concern
The 45th Weather Squadron’s official Launch Mission Execution Forecast gives 90% probability of acceptable atmospheric conditions at the launch sites and through Atlas V and Starliner’s ascent corridor.
One concern is wind. Mark Burger, launch weather officer at the 45th Weather Squadron said that, “There is one watch item,” he said, “And that is the local winds. It’s already turning breezy out of there with sort of a stiff onshore flow, and that’s what we’ll be monitoring for tomorrow as well.”
Burger added, “Again, [we’re] not considering any rain or thunderstorms, maybe a few clouds, bu not anything concerning for us. The winds will be a little feisty tomorrow not only in terms of the magnitude of the winds, but also the direction of the winds. [There will be] a pretty good onshore component, nearly perpendicular to the coast. That tightens or restricts us just a little bit in terms of favorability. But again, now, winds, as you know, are a highly variable factor both in time and space. So hopefully we’ll be able to to get off without a hitch.”
via 45th Weather Squadron. Forecast may be updated at any time.
Sky Cover
The National Weather Service is expecting roughly 50% cloud coverage late tomorrow morning. The launch should be well visible to most spectators, but clouds may block others.
Via National Weather Service. Forecast may be updated at any time.
Booster Recovery
None. Atlas V is a fully expendable launch system, so after Main Engine Cutoff of the first stage, it will seperate and fall into the Atlantic Ocean. Atlas V’s second stage, a dual-engine Centaur, will be purposely re-entered after Starliner separation.
Spaceflight Now will have coverage of the launch starting about one hour before liftoff on Youtube: link
Remember that there is a delay between a launch stream and the actual countdown clock. That is simply because of physics: it takes time for the signal to travel from the launch site, through the Internet, and back down to your phone, resulting in a five to fifteen-second delay.
Next Spaceflight, an app for iOS and Android phones, has a real-time countdown clock that is accurate to a second, give or take. The app is free. Search the App Store or Google Play.
Launch Viewing: In Person
This morning’s planned launch is from SLC-40, on the south side of the Eastern Range (KSC and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station combined.) The southern parks in Titusville on Washington Avenue and FL-528/A1A in Cape Canaveral are the best spots to watch liftoff directly.
Given the early hours of the launch window (7:30AM – 11:30AM EDT) these restaurants may not be open for launch viewing. Later in the day, all three may well be, so if you are interested, be sure to call ahead to make sure they’ll be ready to serve you.
The Space Bar ($$$) – atop the Courtyard Marriott near Kennedy Parkway
New York New York ($$) – on the Indian River with an outdoor seating area. Is family-friendly.
Shiloh’s ($$$) — located on the Indian River with an outdoor deck overlooking KSC/CCSFS
Indirect Views
There are several excellent viewing spots for SLC-40 launches that offer indirect views — meaning you won’t see the rocket until it clears obstructions such as trees, buildings, even a storm berm in one case.
Parking fees (probably). Pay with your smartphone on the parking app. There are signs everywhere telling you how.
Further away, but still good views.
Northern Titusville Parks
Further away, but really nice views.
You can also view the launch from the area beaches, which will have good views of the ascending rocket after it clears any ground obstructions.
Be prepared for potential changes or pushbacks in the launch schedule, and keep up by monitoring the live stream links mentioned above.
Keep up with launch news and other space events that affect the local area by subscribing to alerts when we publish a new article by entering your email at the link at the bottom of this page, or by visiting Space Talk here on the website. It’s free, and you can cancel at any time.
Bowing CST-100 Starliner ‘Calypso’ capsule on May 31, 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer, Talk of Titusville
“We’ll fly when we’re ready.”
Those words by the manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, Steve Stich, earlier this spring have hovered over the launch campaign of Boeing’s Crewed Flight Test for several weeks now.
They’ve been a guiding principle for the launch and spacecraft teams, and NASA and astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, and now, all parties agree that they’re ready to fly.
With that, the launch of Atlas V carrying Starliner to low-Earth orbit and eventually the International Space Station with Wilmore and Williams aboard is set for 12:26 PM EDT on Saturday June 1st.
The faulty valve in the second stage Centuar II of Atlas V has been replaced, and that problem closed out.
Engineers, scientists, and mission managers have analyzed the helium leak in Starliner discovered after the Centaur valve issue; the rate of loss was calculated and deemed safe for flight, and it will be monitored throughout the mission in case further intervention is required.
The panel for today’s press briefing at Kennedy Space Center, L-R: NASA Host and Moderator Derroll Nail NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program Dana Weigel, manager, NASA’s International Space Station Program NASA astronaut Mike Fincke Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Commercial Crew Program, Boeing Gary Wentz, vice president, Government and Commercial Programs, ULA Mark Burger, launch weather officer, 45th Weather Squadron, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station photo: Charles Boyer, Talk of Titusville
Mark Nappi, Mark Nappi, Boeing’s vice president and program manager for the company’s commercial crew program said earlier today that, “The teams are on station and they’re monitoring the spacecraft as we sit here and talk to you.”
“They reported this morning at 03:30 [AM EDT], powered up the vehicle, and have been a continuous monitoring mode and will continue to work the launch preps and the launch countdown leading up until tomorrow morning at 04:00 AM when the launch team will come in and start supporting the mission. So far, there’s been no issues that we’ve been working with the spacecraft, so all is going well,” Nappi added.
Atlas V and Starliner on the launch pad, May 31, 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / ToT
Regarding the Helium issue that caused the lengthy May delay, Nappi was unequivocal: “It’s really just a matter of safety. When we looked at this problem, it didn’t come down to making trades; it came down to whether it was safe or not. And it is safe. That’s why we determined that we could go fly with what we have.”
Steve Stich added insight behind the determination. “There’s about 50 pounds of helium on board,” he said. “And this leak, if it was left open to vent, all the time, it would lose about a half a pound a day. So there’s plenty of margin left over.”
Weather Is A Slight Concern
Weather may be a concern for tomorrow. Mark Burger, launch weather officer, 45th Weather Squadron located at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station gave a 90% probability of acceptable weather, with a caveat. There is one watch item,” he said, “And that is the local winds. It’s already turning breezy out of there with sort of a stiff onshore flow, and that’s what we’ll be monitoring for tomorrow as well.”
Burger added, “Again, [we’re] not considering any rain or thunderstorms, maybe a few clouds, bu not anything concerning for us. The winds will be a little feisty tomorrow not only in terms of the magnitude of the winds, but also the direction of the winds. [There will be] a pretty good onshore component, nearly perpendicular to the coast. That tightens or restricts us just a little bit in terms of favorability. But again, now, winds, as you know, are a highly variable factor both in time and space. So hopefully we’ll be able to to get off without a hitch.”
The 45th Weather Squadron’s official forecast on May 31, 2024Railway view of the Atlas V with Starliner on May 31, 2024 Photo by Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
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Late this evening, NASA released a statement to credentialed media saying that the oft-delayed Starliner Crewed Flight Test will not launch on May 25th as planned.
NASA, Boeing, and ULA are foregoing the Saturday, May 25 launch attempt for NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test. The team has been in meetings for two consecutive days, assessing flight rationale, system performance, and redundancy. There is still forward work in these areas, and the next possible launch opportunity is still being discussed.
NASA will share more details once we have a clearer path forward.
This mission has been delayedseveral times after the first launch attempt was scrubbed on May 6, 2024 due to a faulty valve on the second stage of Atlas V. The rocket was taken off its launch pad and moved back to ULA’s Vertical Integration Facility at SLC-41 where repairs were effected.
A Helium leak was discovered in the Starliner service module during that repair period, and mission managers have been apparently assessing the problem since then with no conclusion reached. There is no word — as of yet — as to whether Starliner will be de-stacked from the Atlas V rocket slated to carry it to orbit and the leaky seal repaired, or whether it will be deemed acceptable and the flight allowed to be launched with Starliner as-is.
That conclusion must be reached before a potential new launch date can be determined. If Starliner requires repair, it will likely take some time, likely best measured in weeks. If it is decided that the vehicle can fly as-is, there are potential launch dates on May 28, June 1 and 2, and June 5 and 6, 2024.
The Space Coast could see up to three launches this week: two Starlink launches from SpaceX, and if mission managers accept the current state of Boeing’s Starliner, at long last, the first crewed launch of the vehicle. Here’s a look at the schedule as it currently stands on Monday, May 20, 2024:
Wednesday, May 22: Starlink 6-62
Organization: SpaceX
Rocket: Falcon 9, Block 5
Launch Site: Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
Launch Window: 10:33 PM – 02:33 AM EDT
Payload: 23 Starlink Satellites
Booster Return To Launch Site: No
There has been a steady stream of Starlink Group 6 launches over the past several months, and this is another one of them. While the mission may be similar to many other recent launches, every rocket launch is slightly different and worth viewing, so despite the apparent lather-rinse-repeat nature of a Starlink launch by SpaceX, it will be worth viewing.
Photo: Ed Cordero / Florida Media Now
Thursday, May 23: Starlink 6-63
Organization: SpaceX
Rocket: Falcon 9, Block 5
Launch Site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center
Launch Window: 06:45 PM – 10:45 PM EDT
Payload: 23 Starlink Satellites
Booster Return To Launch Site: No
This launch may be interesting, especially if it launches at the beginning of the window or if it is pushed back into the twilight hours of early evening.
If it launches close to the beginning of the planned launch window in the golden light of late afternoon, it will be a gorgeous sight to see, with the rocket illuminated by the yellowish light of the last part of daytime. Playalinda Beach should be open to viewers during that time. Remember that Playalinda has a hard closing time of 8 PM, so if the launch is delayed past then, you will have to leave and find another spot to watch.
No launch provider plans liftoff based on spectators, however, so if either of those things happens, it will be because SpaceX mission managers have decided that Falcon 9 is ready for flight. That’s as it should be, as spaceflight is not an entertainment business.
Photo: NASA, via livestream
Saturday, May 25: Boeing Starliner Crewed Flight Test
Organization: United Launch Alliance, Boeing, NASA
Rocket: ULA Atlas V
Launch Site: Space Launch Complex 41, Kennedy Space Center
Launch Window: 3:09 PM EDT. Instantaneous window
Payload: Boeing CST-100 Starliner capsule with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams
Booster Return To Launch Site: No
This is the most tenuous launch planned for the week. This mission has been delayedseveral times after the first launch attempt was scrubbed on May 6, 2024 due to a faulty valve on the second stage of Atlas V. The rocket was taken off its launch pad and moved back to ULA’s Vertical Integration Facility at SLC-41 where repairs were effected.
A Helium leak was discovered in the Starliner service module during that repair period, and at the time of this writing, mission managers are evaluating the leak (it is within tolerances) to decide if it is acceptable for flight. Sometime during the week, the results of the analysis will be announced by NASA and Boeing, and the launch schedule for Starliner will become clearer.
If the launch proceeds as scheduled, northern viewpoints in Titusville will be best for spectators if they are not on-site at Kennedy Space Center Visitors Center. Playalinda will be closed to spectators as this is a northeastward launch with crew.
Schedule Shifts Possible
Several factors affect launch dates and times: weather, technical readiness and range availability.
There is an old saying in the spaceflight industry: “Hundreds of thousands of things have to go right for their to be a launch, but only one has to go wrong for there to be a scrub.” That and “It’s better to be on the ground fixing a problem rather than wishing you were on the ground fixing a problem.”
In other words, no one launches unless they are certain they are ready. That means scrubs and schedule shifts are very possible, and anyone planning to watch a launch, either in person or online, should be prepared for launch times and shifts. It’s the nature of the business.
You can keep up with the general launch schedule here at Talk of Titusville, as we pass along schedule changes as soon as we know them. On launch day, the launch company’s website is the official source of information and there are several YouTube and X.com streams available that will give you the latest information.
Keep up with launch news and other space events that affect the local area by subscribing to alerts when we publish a new article by entering your email at the link at the bottom of this page, or by visiting Space Talk here on the website. It’s free and you can unsubscribe at any time.
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