NASA will fly two astronaut test pilots aboard the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission to the International Space Station, where they will live and work off of the Earth for around two weeks. CFT commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore, whom NASA appointed to the prime crew in October 2020, will join NASA astronaut Suni Williams, who will serve as pilot.
Williams previously served as the backup test pilot for CFT while assigned as commander of NASA’s Boeing Starliner-1 mission, which will be Starliner’s first post-certification mission. As CFT pilot, Williams replaces NASA astronaut Nicole Mann, who was originally assigned to the mission in 2018. Mann was reassigned to NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission in 2021.
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NASA is buying 5 additional SpaceX #CrewDragon astronaut ferry flights to ensure uninterrupted access to the ISS through the end of the decade. While #Starliner certification is expected in the "near future" ...it's critical to complete Starliner's development without undue schedule pressure while working to position both Boeing and SpaceX for sustainable operations..