The Starliner Spacecraft Is Finally Flying Astronauts to the International Space Station
After a bumpy few years, NASA’s Starliner is finally ready for takeoff.
The agency says the Boeing spacecraft is set to begin its inaugural crewed mission to the International Space Station (ISS) next week, nearly a decade after originally intended.
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The United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket and the adjoining CST-100 Starliner spacecraft are scheduled to depart from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 10:34 p.m. EDT on Monday, May 6. Starliner is expected to dock at the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module at 12:48 a.m. on Wednesday, May 8. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will spend about a week at the ISS, testing the Starliner spacecraft before NASA certifies it for the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Starliner will then travel back toward Earth for a parachute landing in the Southwestern U.S.
The first manned test flight was initially planned for 2017, but several ongoing issues caused NASA to delay the mission indefinitely in June 2023. In January, the agency said it had made significant progress in resolving technical problems and was ready for an April launch. The mission was then pushed back to May.
The Starliner’s flight history isn’t great, either. The craft failed to complete unmanned test flights in 2018 and 2019 due to software issues, propellant leaks, and troublesome parachutes. Sticky valves then grounded the craft in 2021. The Starliner eventually completed an unmanned mission to the ISS in 2022.
In addition to the Starliner saga, Boeing has been dealing with the fallout of the fatal 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019, the incident with the door plug blowing out on a 737 in 2024, and the death of a former manager turned whistleblower. All that controversy has sent Boeing stock plummeting. As such, the aerospace giant could use a successful spaceflight and some good publicity.
The launch will be broadcast on the NASA+ streaming service, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Coverage will kick off at 6:30 p.m. and end shortly after Starliner’s orbital insertion. NASA Television will then offer continuous coverage of the docking, hatch opening, and welcome remarks.
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