Cape Canaveral, Florida – Boeing is preparing to launch its first crewed mission of the Starliner spacecraft after a decade of development. The spacecraft is scheduled to lift off atop an Atlas V rocket at 12:25 p.m. ET from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Saturday. The live stream of the event will begin at 8:15 a.m. ET on NASA’s website.
With favorable weather conditions, the mission, named Crew Flight Test, is a significant milestone in Boeing’s efforts to compete with SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule in transporting astronauts to the International Space Station under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. If successful, it will be only the sixth inaugural journey of a crewed spacecraft in US history.
Veteran NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will be on board for this historic flight, with Williams making history as the first woman to fly aboard such a mission. The mission will involve testing various aspects of Starliner’s capabilities, including thruster performance, spacesuit functionality, and manual piloting.
After reaching orbit, the Starliner crew capsule will travel to the International Space Station, where the astronauts will spend eight days conducting tests. The spacecraft is expected to dock at the station at 1:50 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Despite delays and setbacks in the development process, Boeing is confident in the readiness of the Starliner spacecraft for routine operations. The company is eager to learn from this test flight and improve future missions.
The mission teams have thoroughly assessed and addressed any potential issues with the spacecraft, including a helium leak and a design vulnerability in the propulsion system. Additionally, the teams have verified the readiness of all systems for the upcoming test flight.
With the excitement building for this historic launch, NASA and Boeing are focused on ensuring the success and safety of the mission. The astronauts are ready to embark on this journey, confident in the capabilities of the spacecraft and the support of the operations teams.
As preparations continue for the launch, both NASA and Boeing are looking forward to the valuable insights and data that will be gained from this mission. It is a crucial step in advancing human space exploration and opening up new possibilities for future missions.