The Starliner’s Crew Flight Test (CFT) is of great importance to NASA, as it will expand their capabilities to and from the International Space Station, a necessity for the organization. Following a successful mission, NASA will begin the final process of certifying Starliner and systems for crewed missions to the space station, paving the way for operational Starliner crew rotation flights in 2025.
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which awarded contracts to both Boeing and SpaceX in 2014, aims to end reliance on Russia’s Soyuz and resuming launching American astronauts from U.S. soil aboard American rockets and spacecraft. SpaceX has already successfully initiated piloted flights in May 2020, launching two NASA astronauts on a Crew Dragon test flight to the space station.