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Chris Ferguson, last Space Shuttle Atlantis commander, tests the Boeing CST-100 capsule consoles which can fly US astronauts to the International Space Station in 2017. Ferguson is now Boeings director of Crew and Mission Operations for the Commercial Crew Program vying for NASA funding. Credit: NASA/Boeing

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL Boeing expects to launch the first unmanned test flight of their commercial CST-100 manned space taxi in early 2017, said Chris Ferguson, commander of NASAs final shuttle flight in an exclusive one-on-one interview with Universe Today for an inside look at Boeings space efforts. Ferguson is now spearheading Boeings human spaceflight capsule project as director of Crew and Mission Operations.

The first unmanned orbital test flight is planned in January 2017 and may go to the station, Ferguson told me during a wide ranging, in depth discussion about a variety of human spaceflight topics and Boeings ambitious plans for their privately developed CST-100 human rated spaceship with a little help from NASA.

Boeing has reserved a launch slot at Cape Canaveral with United Launch Alliance (ULA), but the details are not yet public.

If all goes well, the maiden CST-100 orbital test flight with humans would follow around mid-2017.

The first manned test could happen by the end of summer 2017 with a two person crew, he said.

And we may go all the way to the space station.

Boeing is among a trio of American aerospace firms, including SpaceX and Sierra Nevada Corp, vying to restore Americas capability to fly humans to Earth orbit and the space station by late 2017, using seed money from NASAs Commercial Crew Program (CCP) in a public/private partnership. The next round of contracts will be awarded by NASA about late summer 2014.

Thats a feat that America hasnt accomplished in nearly three years.

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Boeing CST-100 Space Taxi Maiden Test Flight to ISS Expected Early 2017 One on One Interview with Chris Ferguson ...