This marks the inaugural crewed flight of the Starliner capsule, developed in collaboration with NASA to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station.
The third attempt proved successful for Boeing’s Starliner capsule, which launched with astronauts aboard for the first time on Wednesday, commencing a much-anticipated, high-stakes test flight to the International Space Station.
The capsule lifted off at 10:52 a.m. ET, propelled into orbit by an Atlas V rocket from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Veteran NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita Williams comprise Starliner’s inaugural crew. They are expected to spend approximately a day traveling to the space station, with docking scheduled for Thursday at 12:15 p.m. ET.
The Starliner program, including this first crewed flight, has faced years of delays and technical issues. Most recently, a launch attempt was aborted on Saturday with less than four minutes remaining in the countdown. An earlier attempt on May 6 was also canceled due to a valve issue in the Atlas V rocket, produced by United Launch Alliance, a Boeing and Lockheed Martin joint venture. A subsequent helium leak in the Starliner’s propulsion system caused further delays.
Boeing aims to catch up with Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which has been transporting NASA astronauts to the International Space Station with its Crew Dragon capsule since 2020. If this crewed Starliner flight succeeds through landing, it could allow Boeing to join SpaceX, providing NASA with a second option for routine flights to and from the space station.
Both companies developed their spacecraft under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. This initiative, which began over a decade ago, supports private companies in creating new space vehicles for transporting astronauts to low-Earth orbit, following the retirement of NASA’s space shuttles.
