Boeing targets first crewed Starliner launch in May 2024

Scrubbed attempts delay original date

Tower features new crew access arm

After several launch attempts were scrubbed, Boeing is now targeting a May 2024 launch date for the first crewed flight test of its Starliner spacecraft. The original launch date was set for May 6, 2024, but was delayed due to a problem with an oxygen valve on the Atlas rocket and a subsequent issue with the spacecraft's software.

The Starliner crew access tower is the first new access tower to be built along Florida's Space Coast since the Apollo era. The tower features a new crew access arm that will allow astronauts to board the Starliner spacecraft directly from the tower, rather than having to transfer from a separate crew module.

The launch of the ULA United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket and Boeing Starliner spacecraft is targeted for 12:25 p.m. EDT on May 6, 2024. The launch will take place from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.