Boeing and ULA Complete Final Dress Rehearsal for Starliner Launch
Boeing and United Launch Alliance successfully finish a full launch dress rehearsal for the Starliner crew capsule. The test paves the way for an uncrewed orbital flight targeted for December 20.
Boeing and United Launch Alliance (ULA) complete a crucial dress rehearsal for the CST-100 Starliner crew capsule at Cape Canaveral. The teams conduct the integrated Day of Launch Test (IDOLT) with the spacecraft perched atop a fully fuelled Atlas V rocket, simulating all real launch procedures. This practice includes a full countdown and hatch checks to ensure every team member knows their exact role.
This comprehensive rehearsal is especially vital because it proves that all independent systems work perfectly together in a real-world setting. The exercise mirrors the standard preparations used during the Space Shuttle era and confirms that the hardware and personnel function exactly as designed. Without this integrated test, it remains impossible to guarantee flawless coordination on launch day.
The successful dress rehearsal sets the stage for the uncrewed Orbital Flight Test (OFT), which NASA, Boeing, and ULA now target for December 20. This upcoming mission replicates the exact profile of the future crewed flight, just without astronauts on board. If all goes according to plan, this crucial test flight takes place just before the end of the year and sets up a crewed launch early next year.