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…
Lmao. Strainer/Kuiper on Falcon 9 confirmed.
/s
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?
Oh cool
For what it’s worth, the last two Cygnus cargo ships had to fly on Falcon 9s because they ran out of Antares rockets.
They should just use Starliner for cargo until it can get to the station without any leaks or thrusters overheating.
It’s like the world’s most expensive Cygnus vehicle.
But they have Dragon, Cygnus, and maybe Dreamchaser for cargo. Those guys wouldn’t be thrilled if Starliner started to show up as a cargo ship.