Boeing’s Starliner Takes Flight: A Groundbreaking Journey Begins!

NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams have become the first individuals to undertake an orbital expedition on a Boeing [NYSE: BA] Starliner, launching from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 10:52am ET and initiating a 25-hour journey to the International Space Station (ISS). This launch marks the beginning of the NASA-Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test (CFT).

“This crew flight test heralds a new era in cosmic exploration as we witness astronauts Wilmore and Williams thoroughly assess Boeing’s Starliner while journeying to the International Space Station,” remarked Ted Colbert, President and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security. “This is a remarkable start. We are keenly looking forward to ensuring the astronauts’ safe arrival at the space station and their return journey to Earth.”

Wilmore and Williams are also the trailblazers to ascend aboard an Atlas V rocket and are currently experiencing microgravity as they near the space station. They will accomplish a variety of flight test objectives, including the manual control of the Starliner.

Alongside the two astronauts, the Starliner is carrying roughly 760 pounds (345 kilograms) of cargo. Upon docking at the ISS, Wilmore and Williams will spend nearly a week at the station before heading back to Earth. Subsequent to a successful CFT, Boeing and NASA will persist in their partnership to certify Starliner for long-duration operational missions to the ISS.