Boeing's 1st Starliner Space Capsule Rolls Out to Launch Site for Test Flight

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By Meghan Bartels
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Boeing's crew capsule bound for the International Space Station took its next big step on that journey today (Nov. 21) as it moved from the company's facility out to its Florida launch site.

The CST-100 Starliner capsule is due to make its first flight, an uncrewed test mission, on Dec. 17. The spacecraft will spend its final month on Earth at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. At that facility, owned by United Launch Alliance, the capsule will today be stacked on its Atlas V rocket built by ULA.

"Starliner is beautiful," NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, who will be flying on the first crewed Starliner mission, wrote on Twitter.

Related: In Photos: Boeing's Starliner Pad Abort Test Launch

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During that crewed test mission, which will be Starliner's next flight, Fincke will be joined by Boeing astronaut Chris Ferguson and NASA colleague Nicole Mann. The trio was on-site for the rollout to commemorate the milestone in Starliner's journey.

The December test flight will be a critical trial for Starliner as it seeks NASA certification to fly astronauts to and from the space station. The uncrewed test flight will test each stage of a typical astronaut journey, including docking and undocking with the space station itself.

Boeing's first CST-100 Starliner capsule seen in front of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center as it began its journey on Nov. 21, 2019, to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for launch. (Image credit: NASA)

The uncrewed test flight is scheduled for just six weeks after Boeing's last key procedure, a pad abort test. That launch was designed to vet the spacecraft's ability to carry astronauts safely away from any anomalies with the rocket before blastoff.

Boeing's counterpart in NASA's commercial crew program, SpaceX, completed a similar uncrewed test flight of its own spacecraft, Crew Dragon, in March. Both companies are targeting crewed missions next year. 

Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels@space.com or follow her @meghanbartels. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook. 

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Meghan Bartels
Meghan Bartels
Senior Writer

Meghan is a senior writer at Space.com and has more than five years' experience as a science journalist based in New York City. She joined Space.com in July 2018, with previous writing published in outlets including Newsweek and Audubon. Meghan earned an MA in science journalism from New York University and a BA in classics from Georgetown University, and in her free time she enjoys reading and visiting museums. Follow her on Twitter at @meghanbartels.