ULA prepares 100th Atlas V rocket for NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight

United Launch Alliance (ULA) started stacking the 100th Atlas V rocket for the upcoming NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission to orbit.

ULA posted short timelapse videos of the stacking on social media site X and anticipated the launch event.

This mission will fly Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore to the orbiting lab for up to two weeks. It aims to test the Starliner spacecraft and its system before returning to Earth in the Western part of the U.S.

The launch will take place from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

ULA is using the #AtlasV N22 configuration to launch #CFT. In the coming days, two AJ60 solid rocket boosters and the Dual Engine Centaur with twin RL10A-4-2 engines will be hoisted into place. #Starliner attachment occurs closer to its targeted April launch date. pic.twitter.com/fLtNFiGWgZ

— ULA (@ulalaunch) February 21, 2024

Last month, both astronauts completed an integrated crew exercise simulation to rehearse prelaunch operations beginning roughly four hours before a targeted liftoff. This exercise was performed with the participation of the flight crew, NASA, Boeing, and ULA.

The exercise began with Wilmore and Williams walking through suit-up procedures inside the Astronaut Crew Quarters in NASA Kennedy’s Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout building.

The crew is currently running through additional simulations based on each phase of the mission. These include milestones such as CFT certification, fueling Starliner with propellants, and stacking Starliner on Atlas V rocket to prepare for a liftoff.

Starliner has already completed two uncrewed flight tests including Orbital Flight Test-1, which provided teams with additional flight data in December 2019. Orbital Flight Test-2 was performed in May 2022 from Cape Canaveral. Both of these provided important data to move towards the next milestone.