NASA Commercial Crew Capsules: Boeing Starliner vs. SpaceX Crew Dragon Comparison
Eight NASA astronauts and three private crews have
previously been sent to the International Space Station on one of these. Next
week, the other is scheduled to launch on its first crewed flight.
Either one can accommodate a combination of crew and cargo, or up to seven
astronauts. Both were intended to take off on rockets and track the
International Space Station, covering 200–250 miles per hour at 17,500 mph
while orbiting Earth once every 90 minutes. One lands in the ocean with a
splash. The other desert "soft lands."
Now that the Space Shuttle had been retired, the mission for
both spacecrafts was to figure out how to get NASA personnel to the
International Space Station (ISS). In 2014, both were chosen to receive
government funding through NASA's Commercial Crew contract.
Here's all you need to know about Starliner and how it stacks up against
SpaceX's Dragon as Boeing gets ready to launch its capsule on its maiden crewed
trip as early as May 6 at 10:34 p.m. from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space
Force Station.
NASA astronauts will be transported by Boeing's Starliner
The Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 Starliner, or just "Starliner," is the name given by Boeing to it. It is scheduled to launch on May 6th, at the latest, and it will be the first spacecraft to carry people from Space Launch Complex 41. From the Titan rockets in 1965 to the New Horizons deep space probe, the Voyager spacecraft, and even the Curiosity Mars rover, the pad has served as the launch pad for numerous important missions.
What launches Where: Florida chases about 70 launches
annually, years after the space shuttle's departure.
In advance of Starliner's Crew Flight Test, which will be launched using an
Atlas V rocket from ULA (a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin), a
crew access arm was recently added to the site. Although the Atlas V rocket has
taken off from this location since 2002, this will be the first time it has
propelled humans into space.
Don't miss the upcoming launch in Florida: Is it happening today? Schedule of
upcoming SpaceX, ULA, and NASA rocket launches in Florida
Calypso is the Boeing Starliner assigned to this trip
Following the success of this future Crew Flight Test,
Boeing hopes to frequently transport NASA astronauts on the Starliner as part
of NASA's Commercial Crew Programme. Starliner will join SpaceX's Dragon, which
has been carrying NASA personnel since 2020, if it receives NASA certification.
Beyond this planned flight test, Boeing currently reports that NASA has purchased
six additional crewed missions.
A Starliner crew capsule has a maximum flight time of ten missions, with a
six-month servicing interval in between, according to Boeing.
Astronaut Sunita "Suni" Williams of Crew Flight
Test gave the capsule that took out on Monday the name Calypso. Williams said
in 2019 that she named the capsule Calypso after the ship of Jacque Cousteau,
an ocean explorer from the middle of the 20th century, as a tribute to her love
of the sea and adventure. The underwater observation chamber and scientific
expedition-supporting equipment, including a helicopter and submersibles, left
that ship unforgettable. Butch Wilmore, the mission commander, will be flying
with Williams.
Starliner manufactured by Boeing
Name: Starliner
Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100
(16.5 feet, including the service module)
15 feet in diameter
Four members of the crew (can carry up to seven)
Rocket: ULA Atlas V launches
Space Launch Complex 41 is the launch pad.
Reusability of rockets: one flight (ULA is using Vulcan to assess reusability.)
Destination: ISS and Earth orbit
Landing: In the southwestern United States, using airbags and three
parachutes, a ground landing.
2014 NASA Contract Award: $4.8 billion
First unmanned docking of the Boeing Starliner
On May 20, 2022, Boeing's Starliner docked to the
International Space Station for the first time with success.
SpaceX Dragon
Name: Dragon Crew
(16 feet, including the service module)
13 feet in diameter
Four members of the crew (can carry up to seven)
Launched aboard SpaceX Falcon 9, the rocket
Launch pads: Space Launch Complex 40 and KSC 39A.
Multiple flights of rocket reuse (Falcon 9 lands and takes off again)
Destination: ISS and Earth orbit
Landing: After employing two drogue parachutes, descends beneath four main
chutes and splashes into the ocean.
NASA's 2014 Contract Award: $3.19 billion
The first unmanned SpaceX Dragon docking
On May 25, 2012, the SpaceX Dragon made its first successful
docking to the International Space Station.