this post was submitted on 21 Mar 2025
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NASA examining options for another Starliner test flight (spacenews.com)
submitted 1 week ago by threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works to c/spaceflight@sh.itjust.works
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[–] threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Hmm, the only human-rated rocket which Starliner can fly on is the Atlas V, which has ceased production, and all remaining launches have been sold. If another test flight is required before Starliner-1, Boeing would have to purchase one of the Atlas V launches slated for Project Kuiper, or else they cannot fly all six operational Starliner missions...

[–] jia_tan@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Lmao. Strainer/Kuiper on Falcon 9 confirmed.

/s

[–] threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

Not entirely /s. Kuiper on Falcon 9 was confirmed over a year ago.

Starliner (Strainer?) on Falcon 9 would violate NASA's dissimilar redundancy requirements, but if the other options are Starliner not flying at all, or human-rating Vulcan, then maybe it could happen?

[–] burble@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 week ago

For what it's worth, the last two Cygnus cargo ships had to fly on Falcon 9s because they ran out of Antares rockets.