In recent days, NASA astronauts Randy Bresnik and Serena Auñón have made some evaluations of a test version of Boeing’s CST-100 spacecraft wearing a space suit. For the company, it was an opportunity to introduce to the world the spacecraft being developed to carry astronauts to the International Space Station.

Almost exactly a year ago, NASA announced the choice of Boeing’s CST-100 project among the three to be financed within its Commercial Crew integrated Capability (CCiCap) program, which constitutes the third phase of its Commercial Crew Development (CCDev). The abbreviation CST-100 indicates the destination of the spacecraft for Crew Space Transportation over a 100 kilometers of height, the height above sea level of the Kármán line which by convention marks the boundary between the Eargh’s atmosphere and space.

The design of the CST-100 spacecraft is inspired by the modules of the Apollo program but also other space missions for which Boeing and its partners Bigelow Aerospace have worked for many years. The result is a spacecraft larger than an Apollo module but smaller than the Orion spacecraft that NASA is developing.

The interior is obviously built using all the experience accumulated over decades of space missions and is therefore much more modern than the Apollo modules. Boeing is considering the possibility of providing the CST-100 spacecraft also with touchscreen tablets. It’s a possibility that must be explored with caution together with NASA because it makes sense to have those tablets if the crew can use them while wearing their space suit gloves on. Their configuration will have to be similar to that of the hardware used on the International Space Station to avoid the need for additional training for the crew to use them.

The CST-100 spacecraft can comfortably carry 5 people but they can configure it to transport up to 7 or a mix of crew and cargo. Generally, spacecraft are launched specifically to carry cargos to the International Space Station and the space shuttle SpaceX Dragon is able to carry cargos back to Earth. However, the ability to carry a small cargo together with the astronauts adds flexibility to space missions.

If all goes well, the first test launch of the CST-100 spacecraft could take place in 2015 or in the first months of 2016. Probably, it will use an Atlas V rocket, one of those normally used by United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture of which Boeing is part together with Lockheed Martin.

Boeing’s plans, but also those of its competitors, are heavily dependent on funding from NASA, which unfortunately tend to be delayed as a result of budget cuts. Boeing would use its CST-100 spacecraft also for transporting people to the space station that Bigelow Aerospace plans to build for commercial and touristic purposes. Let’s hope that those projects are developed successfully!

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