NASA Is Replacing An Astronaut On Boeing’s First Crewed Space Flight

Eric Boe, an astronaut on Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner, the first crewed flight for the company, will be replaced by E. Michael “Mike” Finke.

Boe is being replaced due to medical reasons, The Verge reports.

After five years in development, the SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule and Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner are due to launch this year. First, they’ll perform uncrewed test flights that will take the vehicle to the International Space Station (ISS) where it will dock and remain uncrewed for a few days. If NASA gives the green light, the spacecrafts will return, manned, and shot into space once again.

Boe was assigned to the CST-100 flight back in August of 2018. One of nine astronauts, Boe would be one of the first to ride the new Starliner.

NASA says Finke will replace Boe due to medical reasons, but it won’t be Finke’s first time to rocket off into space. The replacement astronaut has flown on two Russian Soyuz rockets and the Space Shuttle Endeavor.

Boe still has a role within the program and reports to the chief of Commercial Crew in NASA’s astronaut office.