Boeing Orbital Flight Test

Boeing Orbital Flight Test
The maiden Atlas V N22 launch
NamesBoe-OFT
Mission typeFlight test
OperatorBoeing Defense, Space & Security
COSPAR ID2019-094A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.44900Edit this on Wikidata
Mission duration8 days (planned)
2 days, 1 hour, 22 minutes (achieved)
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftBoeing Starliner Calypso[1]
Spacecraft typeBoeing Starliner
ManufacturerBoeing Defense, Space & Security
Launch mass13,000 kg (29,000 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date20 December 2019, 11:36:43 (20 December 2019, 11:36:43) UTC (6:36:43 am EST)[2][3]
RocketAtlas V N22[a]
AV-080
Launch siteCape Canaveral, SLC-41
ContractorUnited Launch Alliance
End of mission
Landing date22 December 2019, 12:58:53 (22 December 2019, 12:58:53) UTC
Landing siteWhite Sands Space Harbor
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Perigee altitude187 km (116 mi)
Apogee altitude222 km (138 mi)
Inclination51.63°
Period90.00 minutes

Boeing Starliner Orbital Flight Test mission patch

The Boeing Starliner Orbital Flight Test (also known as Boe-OFT) was the first orbital mission of the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, conducted by Boeing as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The mission was planned to be an eight-day test flight of the spacecraft, involving a rendezvous and docking with the International Space Station (ISS), and a landing in the western United States. The mission was launched on December 20, 2019 at 11:36:43 UTC or 06:36:43 AM EST; however an issue with the spacecraft's Mission Elapsed Time (MET) clock occurred 31 minutes into flight. This anomaly caused the spacecraft to burn into an incorrect orbit, preventing a rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS). The mission was reduced to just two days, with the spacecraft successfully landing at White Sands Space Harbor on December 22, 2019.

On 6 April 2020, Boeing announced that it would conduct another Orbital Flight Test to prove and meet all of the test objectives. NASA accepted the proposal from Boeing to do another uncrewed test flight, Boeing Orbital Flight Test 2 (Boe-OFT-2).[4]

  1. ^ Williams, Sunita [@Astro_Suni] (December 22, 2019). "A couple of the awesome people who brought Calypso home! Thank you Steve and Kayva!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 6, 2021 – via Twitter. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ^ Clark, Stephen (December 3, 2019). "Launch of first Starliner orbital test flight slips to December 19". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on May 24, 2024. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  3. ^ Clark, Stephen (December 18, 2019). "Live coverage: Overnight countdown underway for Friday's Starliner launch". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on August 7, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  4. ^ Burghardt, Thomas (July 7, 2020). "NASA and Boeing Complete Starliner Orbital Flight Test Investigation". NASASpaceflight.com. Archived from the original on August 5, 2024. Retrieved August 10, 2020.


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