Goddard Engineering and Technology Directorate

FDF Supports Boeing Starliner Launch

In this illustration, a Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft is shown in low-Earth orbit.
In this illustration, a Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft is shown in low-Earth orbit.

On June 5th, 2024, the FDF supported the successful launch and orbit insertion of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft carrying two NASA Astronauts, Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams. This is the first crewed test flight of the Boeing Starliner vehicle under the Commercial Crew Program. This flight has been delayed by numerous years due to technical issues being worked on the Boeing side. The FDF provides support for both the Starliner capsule as well as the Atlas V launch vehicle. 

As such, both “FlightOps” FDF teams, one supporting the launch vehicle and the other supporting the payload, were on-console for launch while other members of the team were sleep-shifting in order to provide 24/7 covering during full rendezvous and docking profile. In addition to this mission, the FDF was also supporting nominal daily operations and a GOES-U mission rehearsal in the leadup to the initial launch attempt. 

Once again, FDF demonstrates its value in providing critical Flight Dynamics and Navigation capabilities to all of NASA. The coordination of multiple teams to achieve mission success shows that the FDF’s capability is greater than the sum of its parts.