Final flight test before CSA astronaut Joshua Kutryk's mission to the International Space Station
NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission to the International Space Station (ISS) is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida, no earlier than early . Attached to the United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket, Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft will carry NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Suni Williams to the ISS. The astronauts will remain aboard the orbiting laboratory for up to two weeks to evaluate the spacecraft's systems before returning to Earth.
The CFT is the final flight test before the Starliner-1 mission to which CSA astronaut Joshua Kutryk has been assigned. Following a successful flight test, NASA will officially begin the final process to certify the spacecraft and its systems for long-duration crew rotation missions to the ISS as part of the Commercial Crew Program.
Joshua Kutryk will act as capcom for the ascent and the atmospheric re-entry of the CFT. He has worked on the development of the spaceship with the Starliner team in Houston since . He is currently taking part in mission-specific training to prepare for his role as Starliner-1 Mission Specialist and ISS Flight Engineer.