CST-100 Crew Space Transportation

Boeing’s Crew Space Transportation (CST) -100 spacecraft was developed as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The CST-100 can accommodate up to seven passengers, or a mix of crew and cargo to low-earth orbit destinations such as the International Space Station. The CST-100 capsule has an innovative, weld-less design and features Boeing LED “Sky Lighting,” wireless internet and tablet technology for crew interfaces.

Under the Commercial Crew Transportation (CCtCap) phase of the program, Boeing will build three CST-100s at the company’s Commercial Crew Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spacecraft will undergo a pad-abort test in 2016 and an uncrewed flight in early 2017, leading up to the first crewed flight to the ISS in mid-2017.

By September 2012 Boeing established the firm baseline configuration for the company’s Commercial Crew Transportation System, achieving the first performance milestone in NASA’s Commercial Crew integrated Capability (CCiCap) initiative. During the Integrated Systems Review (ISR), Boeing's approaches to the spacecraft, launch system and ground operations were evaluated for compliance with NASA's requirements, including safety and mission assurance, avionics and software, International Space Station (ISS) integration, and crew and mission operations. Boeing also presented results from current development data from tests with its Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 vehicle.

"The ISR established a firm baseline configuration that will allow our team to push forward with the final vehicle design," said John Mulholland, Boeing vice president and program manager for Commercial Programs. "We hope the rigor of our design and development process, and our outstanding team of suppliers, will help position the CST-100 as one of the next crew transportation vehicles to the space station and other low Earth orbit destinations."

"Our industry partners are gearing up to push their human spaceflight technologies further than ever before so America can have its own crew transportation system around the middle of the decade," said Ed Mango, Commercial Crew program manager for NASA. "This review was just the first of many exciting and valuable milestones Boeing is expected to complete during its funded partnership with NASA."

The CCiCap phase of the Commercial Crew program addressed development milestones to be completed in a 21-month base period, with the potential for additional milestones in a subsequent options period. Having completed more than 50 milestones in the previous two phases of the program, Boeing is continuing to mature the development of its Commercial Crew Transportation System to provide safe, reliable and affordable access to the ISS.

On 16 September 2014 Boeing received an award of $4.2 billion from NASA to build and fly the United States’ next passenger spacecraft. “Boeing has been part of every American human space flight program, and we’re honored that NASA has chosen us to continue that legacy,” said John Elbon, Boeing vice president and general manager, Space Exploration. “The CST-100 offers NASA the most cost-effective, safe and innovative solution to U.S.-based access to low-Earth orbit.”

In May 2015 NASA issued a task order as part of Boeing’s $4.2 billion Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contract to include the company’s first-ever service flight to the International Space Station. The award marked the first time in human spaceflight history NASA has contracted with a commercial company for a human spaceflight mission.

“This occasion will go in the books of Boeing’s nearly 100 years of aerospace and more than 50 years of space flight history,” said John Elbon, vice president and general manager of Boeing’s Space Exploration division. “We look forward to ushering in a new era in human space exploration.” Boeing was selected in September 2014 to build and fly the United States’ next passenger spacecraft, the Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100. The Commercial Crew Transportation System (CCTS) is being developed in partnership with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program which aims to resume U.S.-based flights to space by 2017.

As part of the tCap contract with NASA, Boeing is guaranteed at least two and potentially six service flights after completing human certification. The company has successfully demonstrated to NASA that the Commercial Crew Transportation System has reached design maturity appropriate to proceed to assembly, integration and test activities.

“We’re on track to fly in 2017, and this critical milestone moves us another step closer in fully maturing the CST-100 design,” said John Mulholland, vice president of Commercial Programs. “Our integrated and measured approach to spacecraft design ensures quality performance, technical excellence and early risk mitigation.”