Boeing completes critical Starliner abort test

Test paves way for first crewed flight

Dummy fitted with sensors to provide data on human forces

Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft completed a critical safety milestone on Monday in an end-to-end test of its abort system. The test, conducted at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, saw the Starliner launch atop an Atlas V rocket and then perform a simulated abort just over a minute into flight.

The abort test was designed to demonstrate the Starliner's ability to safely carry astronauts away from a launch pad or during ascent in the event of an emergency. The capsule was equipped with an anthropomorphic test dummy equipped with sensors to collect data on the forces that astronauts would experience during an abort.

"This was a major milestone for the Starliner program," said John Mulholland, vice president and program manager for Boeing's Commercial Crew Program. "It demonstrated the spacecraft's ability to safely abort at any point during ascent, and it provides valuable data that will help us further refine the system."

The successful abort test paves the way for Boeing to conduct its first crewed flight of the Starliner, which is currently scheduled for later this year. The mission, known as Crew Flight Test, will carry three NASA astronauts to the International Space Station for a six-month stay.

NASA TV

For today's test maneuver, the capsule was equipped with an anthropomorphic test dummy equipped with sensors to collect data on the forces that astronauts would experience during an abort.

Meet the crew launching on Boeing's 1st Starliner astronaut flight

ULA CEO Tory Bruno told reporters in the post-scrub briefing: