The spacecraft now sits atop an Atlas V rocket
The first CST-100 Starliner to fly astronauts rolled out of its factory early in the morning on Tuesday, April 16, with teammates and astronauts there to wish the spacecraft farewell.
The spacecraft emerged from the back of the Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility on a transport vehicle and left the parking lot at about 5 a.m. Eastern time. It then made a slow, carefully orchestrated, 10-mile (16-kilometer) trek to United Launch Alliance’s Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The spacecraft was later hoisted and integrated on top of ULA’s Atlas V rocket.
“Having a chance to get to meet and personally know our flight crew members, it will mean that much more when we see them leave for the pad,” said Richard Skinner, who serves as the convoy coordinator on launch day overseeing the transport operation of crew to ULA’s launch complex.
Work will continue in the VIF before the May 6 launch to ensure the Atlas V and spacecraft are properly communicating with each other prior to launch.
“Functionally this rollout was similar in nature to previous rollouts,” Amanda Ireland, Boeing’s Spacecraft Liaison Officer said, including “treating the spacecraft with the greatest care and detail.” Ireland said the importance of having a successful Crew Flight Test is essential in ensuring multiple providers are able to reach different low Earth orbit locations in the future while advancing human spaceflight.
For more Starliner highlights, follow @BoeingSpace on X and the CFT mission website.
