Boeing Chooses Atlas V Rocket To Launch Initial Commercial Crew!

#-Link-Snipped-# declared today that it has chose the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket to launch the Boeing Crew Space Transportation(CST)-100 spacecraft from Florida’s Space Coast. John Elbon, vice president and program manager of Commercial Crew Programs and the source selection official for Boeing said, "This selection marks a major step forward in Boeing's efforts to provide NASA with a proven launch capability as part of our complete commercial crew transportation service.”

#-Link-Snipped-#If  NASA picks out Boeing for a development contract with adequate funding, ULA will allow launch services for an autonomous orbital flight, a transonic autonomous abort test launch and a manned launch, all within 2015. The addition of ULA to the Boeing team renders the beginning of a elaborate design work on an integrated system for set up and spacecraft operations. The team will also fine-tune launch abort operations that will meet NASA's rigorous human rating necessities to safely ship crew and cargo to the International Space Station. Boeing carried on a best-value contest among U.S. launch service providers before selecting the Atlas V. George Sowers, ULA vice president of Business Development said, "We are pleased Boeing selected the Atlas V rocket and believe it is the right vehicle to help usher in the new commercial era in human spaceflight. The Atlas V is a cost-effective, reliable vehicle and ULA stands ready to support Boeing's commercial human spaceflight program."

Boeing wishes to start the wind tunnel examination of the Atlas V and the CST-100 this year and will employ the results to finish a preliminary design appraisal of the integrated system in 2012 under the second round of its Commercial Crew Development Space Act Agreement with NASA. The CST-100 is a reusable, capsule-shaped spacecraft that lets in a crew module and a service module. It trusts proven, affordable materials and subsystem technologies that can ship about seven people, or a combination of people and cargo.