On Wednesday morning, June 5th, Boeing’s “Starliner” successfully launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida, sending two NASA astronauts into space. This marks Boeing’s first crewed flight and a milestone in the past decade.
At 10:52 a.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, the inaugural flight of this crewed spacecraft was propelled into the sky by an Atlas V rocket. NASA’s website broadcasted this historic event live.
As the Atlas V spacecraft roared from the launch pad towards the Florida Atlantic coast, its engines ignited, surrounded by burning propellant and coolant water vapor.
About four minutes into the flight, the Atlas V upper stage separated from the rocket’s lower part, followed by the separation of the “Starliner” from the second stage. The “Starliner” is now independently traveling in space, set to further venture into space, begin the onboard thrusters, and enter space orbit.
Veteran NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are aboard the “Starliner” space capsule on their way to the International Space Station.
The Starliner is expected to reach the space station approximately 24 hours into the flight and dock with the orbiting research outpost about 250 miles above Earth.
“We saw many American flags on our way to the launch pad, with many of you waving the flags at us,” Wilmore said less than six minutes before the rocket launch. “When we arrived at the launch pad, we looked up and saw the American flag on one side of the white room and on the other side of the rocket itself. We knew it represented unity, resilience, and unified efforts for the common good.”
Ted Colbert, President and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, stated in a press release, “This crewed test flight marks the beginning of a new era in space exploration, as we will witness astronauts Wilmore and Williams conduct comprehensive tests on the Boeing Starliner on their way to the International Space Station.”
“This is a great start. We look forward to the safe arrival of the astronauts at the space station and their return home,” he said.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson congratulated the mission through a tweet. “Starliner is up! Congratulations @NASA, @BoeingSpace, and @ulalaunch. Today’s launch is a milestone achievement for future space travel. Butch and Suni – safe travels in space. See you home.”
Elon Musk, CEO and founder of Boeing’s competitor SpaceX, also congratulated the successful launch on Twitter, “Congratulations on the successful launch!”
Musk then announced the upcoming launch of the giant moon rocket Starship from SpaceX’s Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas on Thursday.
This mission, known as the Crewed Flight Test, is a spacecraft developed by Boeing that is comparable to SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, expanding the options for transporting astronauts to the space station under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. NASA’s plan aims to promote collaboration with private industry partners.
Since 2020, the Crew Dragon has been the only spacecraft to launch astronauts to the International Space Station from U.S. soil.
NASA Administrator Nelson noted in a news conference in May that this flight marks the sixth inaugural crewed spacecraft in American history.
“From Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Space Shuttle, (SpaceX’s) Crew Dragon – now it’s Starliner,” Nelson said.
While designed for autonomous flight, the Starliner crew can take over the spacecraft when necessary. This test flight requires Wilmore and Williams to practice manual control of the spacecraft on their way to the space station. The spacecraft will dock at the space station for at least eight days before returning to Earth.
NASA stated that Wilmore and Williams will stay at the International Space Station for approximately a week to test the Starliner and its systems. Following this, the space agency will complete the final certification of the transportation system as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program to execute crew rotation missions to the space laboratory.
Wilmore and Williams will return to Earth aboard the spacecraft, landing with the assistance of parachutes and airbags in the southwestern deserts of the United States. This will mark NASA’s first crewed flight mission.