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Boeing's Starliner spacecraft will set off to the International Space Station for its first crewed test flight in April, US space agency NASA said.
Washington — Boeing's Starliner spacecraft will set off to the International Space Station for its first crewed test flight in April, US space agency NASA said.
The Starliner will lift off from the Cape Canaveral launch site in Florida for the ISS, returning about eight days later to land back on Earth in the US state of New Mexico, NASA said.
"Following a successful test flight with astronauts, NASA will begin the final process of certifying the Starliner spacecraft and systems for regular crew rotation flights to the space station."
Boeing plans to use the Starliner to transport astronauts to the ISS in future, providing an alternative to the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.
Once certified, it will carry up to four crew members to the station.
The Starliner completed an unmanned test flight to the ISS in May.
The spacecraft was originally due to set off for the space outpost in July 2021.
The mission was postponed several times, firstly due to problems after the arrival of Russian research module Nauka at the ISS, and then because of problems with the Starliner's propulsion system valves.
