--- title: "Boeing Is Prepping to Launch Astronauts to Space Station" description: "Commercial Crew Program SpaceX isn't the only company attempting to revolutionize the way we send astronauts to space. Boeing, the largest aerospace company in the world, is looking to send up its own take on a passenger spacecraft, which it calls the CST-100 Starliner, to the International Space Station. Boeing is planning to launch the capsule —..." date: "2019-03-07" modified: "2019-03-14" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/boeing-starliner-test-flight" categories: - "Boeing" - "Space" tags: - "boeing" - "crew dragon" - "SpaceX" - "starliner" --- # Boeing Is Prepping to Launch Astronauts to Space Station ![]() *\Image: Boeing\* ## Commercial Crew Program SpaceX isn't the only company attempting to revolutionize the way we send astronauts to space. Boeing, the [largest aerospace company]() in the world, is looking to send up its own take on a passenger spacecraft, which it calls the CST-100 Starliner, to the International Space Station. Boeing is planning to launch the capsule — uncrewed for now, as a test flight — on an Atlas 5 rocket [as early as April](), according to NASA. ## Starliner Boeing's commercial spacecraft shares similarities with SpaceX's Crew Dragon: it can seat a [crew of seven](), be operated from a central control panel, dock autonomously with the ISS, and can also be reused multiple times. Boeing's Starliner is the result of a [$4.2 billion contract]() signed with NASA in 2014 under the Commercial Crew Program. SpaceX signed a very similar contract for its Crew Dragon mission at the same time, although it paid SpaceX [just $2.4 billion](). ## Race to the ISS SpaceX [successfully launched]() its passenger spacecraft to the ISS on Saturday, becoming the first ever private American spacecraft to do so. Boeing has tests to complete before it takes off. "There still are many critical steps to complete before launch and while we eagerly are anticipating these launches, we will step through our test flight preparations and readiness reviews," Kathy Lueders, Commercial Crew Program manager at NASA said in an [official update](). SpaceX is planning a crewed test flight in July of this year. Boeing wants to do the same only [a month later]() — and its first pilots are already [on stand-by](). *Editor's note: This story has been edited to remove the mistaken claim that this was the first time an astronaut has launched from American soil since 2011; in reality, the only traveler on SpaceX's ISS mission was a dummy.* **READ MORE:** [Crew Dragon and Starliner: A Look at the Upcoming Astronaut Taxis]() \[*Space.com*\] **More on Starliner:** *[NASA Announces The First Commercial Astronauts to Pilot The Next Generation of Spacecraft]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()