Boeing's Starliner prepares for first crewed flight with NASA astronauts

US astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams arrived at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, signaling final preparations for Boeing’s Starliner capsule’s first crewed mission. The launch, scheduled for May 6, is set to transport the astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) for a weeklong stay, marking a significant milestone for the delayed spacecraft.

Wilmore and Williams spoke to reporters about the upcoming mission, emphasizing its importance to NASA’s objective of expanding transportation capabilities to and from the ISS. Wilmore stated, “We’re about to launch on Boeing Starliner and broaden the capability to and from Space Station that our agency has, and that’s vitally important.” Since 2020, NASA astronauts have relied solely on SpaceX’s Dragon capsule for transportation to the ISS.

The road to Starliner’s first crewed flight has been a challenging one for Boeing. The company has faced several delays and technical setbacks in the development of the Starliner capsule. Although it successfully docked with the ISS in May 2022 during an uncrewed test flight, the spacecraft must now complete a crewed certification flight before it can officially begin regular transport missions for NASA.

Both Wilmore and Williams are experienced astronauts who have previously visited the ISS. Their confidence in the Starliner and the mission control team remains high. “There is so much with… the capabilities of this spacecraft that other spacecraft don’t have,” Wilmore remarked. Williams echoed similar sentiments, stating that she has “all the confidence” in the Starliner and the supporting teams.

The upcoming flight will also feature the Atlas V rocket from United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin. The rocket’s reliability is expected to provide a solid foundation for Starliner’s debut crewed mission.

The success of the mission is crucial for NASA, which has long sought to diversify its transportation options to the ISS. If the Starliner performs as planned during this flight, it will pave the way for Boeing’s involvement in NASA’s future space missions and reduce the agency’s reliance on a single transportation provider.