Boeing Starliner Orbital Flight Test 2: Live updates

Boeing and NASA are getting ready to make a second attempt at launching its Starliner astronaut taxi to the International Space Station. The uncrewed CST-100 Starliner space capsule is scheduled to launch to the space station on July 30 at 2:53 p.m. EDT (1853 GMT), lifting off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

This will be Boeing’s second time launching Starliner on an uncrewed test flight; the first mission, OFT-1, returned to Earth early after it failed to reach the space station in December 2019. NASA conducted major reviews of the Starliner program and identified a total of 80 corrective actions that Boeing needed to take before Starliner could return to flight. If all goes according to plan, Starliner will dock with the International Space Station about 24 hours after it launches, and it will return to Earth on Aug. 5 with a parachute-assisted landing at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.

Check back here for live updates on the Boeing Starliner OFT-2 mission.

07:05:51
WEATHER FORECAST: 60% GO FOR LAUNCH
Meteorologists with the U.S. Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron are now predicting a 60% chance of favorable weather for liftoff on Tuesday.

“The primary weather concerns for launch day are the cumulus cloud rule, lightning rule and thick cloud rule violations during the instantaneous launch window,” NASA officials wrote in an update.
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14:43:50 – August 01, 2021
FORECASTING LAUNCH DAY’S WEATHER
Will bad weather interfere with Tuesday’s launch? Maybe, or the rocket could blast off before the storms roll in. Read more.
14:17:35 – July 31, 2021
OFT-2 IN PICTURES
While we wait out the launch delay, check out the full story of OFT-2 in photos with this gallery.
22:19:13 – July 30, 2021
STARLINER HEADS BACK INSIDE
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft aboard is seen as it is rolled back to the Vertical Integration Facility from the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 to avoid inclement weather, Friday, July 30, 2021 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft aboard is seen as it is rolled back to the Vertical Integration Facility from the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 to avoid inclement weather, Friday, July 30, 2021 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. (Image credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky)
With launch delayed to no earlier than Tuesday (Aug. 3) and bad weather expected to hit the Space Coast, the Starliner capsule and its Atlas V rocket headed off the launch pad for shelter. Read more here.
23:52:54 – July 29, 2021
NEW LAUNCH DATE ANNOUNCED
NASA officials announced during a news conference that Starliner will now target launch on Tuesday (Aug. 3) at 1:20 p.m. EDT (1720 GMT). If that launch date holds, the capsule will arrive at the International Space Station on Wednesday (Aug. 4). Read more.
22:50:09 – July 29, 2021
STARLINER LAUNCH DELAYED
NASA and Boeing have delayed Friday’s planned launch of the uncrewed Starliner OFT-2 mission and are establishing a new launch date, according to a NASA statement. The delay comes after Russia’s Nauka module briefly tilted the International Space Station by firing its thrusters in an unplanned maneuver that you can read about here.

We’ll update with a new launch date as soon as possible.

“Success in spaceflight is achieved by millions of elements coming together and working in perfect harmony,” Boeing officials wrote in a statement about the delay. “That’s the nature of our business, and that requires patience. We stand ready to launch the CST-100 Starliner when the time is right, as we support NASA on the International Space Station.”
17:19:24 – July 29, 2021
STARLINER AND ATLAS V ROLL OUT
ULA’s 172-foot (52 meters) Atlas V rocket, with Starliner secured on top, left the Vertical Integration Facility today (July 29) and rolled out to its launch pad, Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Read our rollout story here.

ULA’s Atlas V rocket and Starliner roll out to the launch pad.

(Image credit: United Launch Alliance)

15:10:22 – July 29, 2021
L-1 DAY!
What’s the big deal with this launch? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Check out a deep dive on Boeing’s bumpy ride to the launchpad and brush up on every aspect of the mission, from what’s on board to what comes next.
04:53:25 – July 29, 2021
STARLINER SPENDS ONE MORE NIGHT AT THE VIF
Boeing’s Starliner for the OFT-2 mission is pictured inside the Vertical Integration Facility, at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, on July 28, 2021.

(Image credit: Boeing/Twitter)
Boeing just shared a new photo of its Starliner spacecraft inside the Vertical Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station as the Atlas V rocket awaits its delayed rollout to the launchpad, now scheduled for 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT) tomorrow (Thursday, July 29).

“Storms rolled in, so Starliner didnt roll out,” Boeing tweeted today. “#Starliner and #AtlasV are safe in the @ulalaunch Vertical Integration Facility and ready to roll tomorrow morning.”
23:47:42 – July 28, 2021
ATLAS V ROCKET ROLLOUT DELAYED
A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket stands ready to receive its precious cargo — Boeing’s Starliner for the OFT-2 mission — at the Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, on July 17, 2021.

A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket stands ready to receive its precious cargo — Boeing’s Starliner for the OFT-2 mission — at the Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, on July 17, 2021. (Image credit: ULA)
The United Launch Alliance (ULA) and Boeing had originally planned to transport the Atlas V rocket for the OFT-2 mission to the launchpad this morning, but the rollout has been postponed until Thursday (July 29), beginning at 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT).

“The delay is due to an internet service provider outage that could not be resolved before the onset of predicted weather exceeding operational constraints. The OFT-2 launch, planned for Friday, July 30, at 2:53 p.m. EDT, remains on track,” NASA officials wrote in a blog post.

Speaking of weather, currently the forecast is looking only 40% favorable for Starliner’s planned launch on Saturday. “At this time, the probability of violation remains at 60%, with the primary concerns being the Cumulus Cloud, Surface Electric Fields, and Lightning Rules,” the U.S. Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron said in the latest weather update.
15:08:45 – July 28, 2021
BOEING’S PLAN FOR THE FLIGHT
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Catch up on the plan for Starliner’s second uncrewed launch with this video from Boeing.
20:00:59 – July 27, 2021
STARLINER OFT-2 PRELAUNCH BRIEFING STARTS NOW!

NASA and Boeing are about to begin today’s prelaunch news conference for the Starliner OFT-2 mission. The briefing begins at 1 p.m. EDT (1700 GMT), and you can watch that live here on Space.com, courtesy of NASA TV.
02:03:58 – July 27, 2021
LAUNCH WEATHER UPDATE
The Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft is secured atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, on July 17, 2021.

(Image credit: John Grant/Boeing)
The launch weather forecast for Friday’s planned launch of the Starliner OFT-2 mission currently predicts only a 40% chance of acceptable conditions for liftoff, according to an update from the U.S. Space Force’s Space Launch Delta 45 Weather Squadron.

NASA and Boeing officials will hold a prelaunch news conference for OFT-2 tomorrow (July 27) at 1 p.m. EDT (1700 GMT). You can watch that live here on Space.com, courtesy of NASA TV.
03:18:15 – July 23, 2021
As part of the Flight Readiness Review for Boeing’s uncrewed Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2), NASA astronauts for Boeing’s Crew Flight Test (CFT), Commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore, Pilot Nicole Mann, and Joint Ops Commander E. Michael “Mike” Fincke address NASA and Boeing managers in Operations Support Building 2 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on July 22, 2021.

(Image credit: Kim Shiflett/NASA)
The CST-100 Starliner capsule has passed its flight readiness review (FRR) for the upcoming liftoff, which will kick off the uncrewed Orbital Flight Test 2 (OFT-2) mission to the station, NASA and Boeing representatives announced today (July 22). Read the full story here.

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Over the weekend, engineers mated the Starliner spacecraft to its Atlas V rocket, marking a key milestone ahead of the mission’s launch next week. See the photos here.