NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams blasted off Wednesday on a path to the International Space Station in the first crewed test flight for Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket launched the Starliner into space from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 10:52 a.m. It is expected to dock on the ISS around 12:15 p.m. Thursday, NASA officials said.
Starliner in orbit en route to ISS
Update 11:30 a.m. EDT June 5: Officials said the Starliner has reached orbit after taking off Wednesday morning from Florida.
— NASA Commercial Crew (@Commercial_Crew) June 5, 2024The @BoeingSpace #Starliner spacecraft with @NASA_Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams onboard is in orbit and now on its way to the @Space_Station!
Docking is set for 12:15pm on Thursday, June 6.
Orbital insertion burn successful -- #Starliner is in a stable orbit.
— Boeing Space (@BoeingSpace) June 5, 2024
Journey to ISS expected to take about 25.5 hours
Update 11:15 a.m. EDT June 5: Wilmore and Williams are expected to reach the International Space Station on Thursday afternoon after lifting off on the Boeing Starliner on Wednesday morning.
The flight to the ISS is expected to take about 25.5 hours, with docking expected at 12:15 p.m. EDT Thursday.
— ULA (@ulalaunch) June 5, 2024Separation confirmed! The United Launch Alliance #AtlasV has released #Starliner into space for #CFT.
The names of Wilmore and Williams now join Glenn, Carpenter, Schirra and Cooper as American astronauts to launch into space atop Atlas rockets.https://t.co/yCCjHuaoVi pic.twitter.com/DPHKBe4Cro
The Starliner launch was the first including crew members. NASA noted that it was also historic in that it made Williams the first female astronaut to flight on the first flight of a crewed spacecraft.
— NASA Commercial Crew (@Commercial_Crew) June 5, 2024Calypso has set sail!
A @ULALaunch Atlas V rocket carrying @NASA_Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams aboard @BoeingSpace's #Starliner spacecraft lifted off from Space Launch Complex-41 today at 10:52am ET to begin the Crew Flight Test mission! pic.twitter.com/VoCkWCjLUa
Wednesday’s launch is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, in which the agency partners with American aerospace companies “to launch astronauts on American rockets and spacecraft from American soil.”
“The goal of the program is to provide safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation on space station missions, which will allow for additional research time,” according to NASA.
Starliner lifts off
Update 10:55 a.m. EDT June 5: The Starliner lifted off as planned on Wednesday, marking the first crewed test flight for the spacecraft.
— Boeing Space (@BoeingSpace) June 5, 2024Liftoff! Go #AtlasV! Go Centaur! Go #Starliner!
Godspeed, Butch Wilmore and @Astro_Suni! pic.twitter.com/kTA8fjcLP7
— ULA (@ulalaunch) June 5, 2024LIFTOFF! On the shoulders of the 100th United Launch Alliance #AtlasV rocket, @NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams take flight in @BoeingSpace's #Starliner to the International Space Station!
GO ATLAS! GO STARLINER!https://t.co/yCCjHuaoVi pic.twitter.com/AruYN4dLCz
Original report: Around 9 a.m. Wednesday, NASA commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore and pilot Sunita “Suni” Williams underwent checks and took their seats on the spacecraft, WFTV reported. It marked the second time this month that the astronauts prepped for launch after an attempt to blast off was halted with minutes to spare on Saturday.
NASA said the launch was scrubbed “due to the computer ground launch sequencer not loading into the correct operational configuration after proceeding into terminal count.”
— NASA Commercial Crew (@Commercial_Crew) June 1, 2024.@NASA, @BoeingSpace, and @ulalaunch scrubbed today’s launch attempt due to the computer ground launch sequencer not loading into the correct operational configuration after proceeding into terminal count. The ULA team is working to understand the cause.
The crew and #Starliner… pic.twitter.com/Lnz5QzUSEz
It was the second time a planned launch was halted after a faulty pressure regulation valve prompted officials to scrub a launch on May 6.
“Everything has to work,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said, according to WFTV. “We don’t fly until we think it’s absolutely safe. And that’s why it’s taken this long on the Boeing Starliner.”
Along with Wilmore and Williams, the Starliner is carrying 759 pounds of cargo, including food, clothing, exercise gear, medical supplies, photo and media equipment, vehicle supplies and tools, according to NASA. It will also bring a thumb drive with thousands of photos of art made by children around the globe to the orbiting laboratory.
— ISS Research (@ISS_Research) June 5, 2024There’s a science package aboard! 📦
Hardware from Immunity Assay is heading to @Space_Station with Butch Wilmore and @Astro_Suni. This experiment uses a tool to study the impact of space flight on cellular immune function while aboard station. https://t.co/xUhDCqjek6 pic.twitter.com/tBSJluCkqJ
Wilmore and Williams are expected to spend about a week the ISS before returning to the U.S.
Latest trending news:
- 4-year-old boy is second child injured in days by cow elk in Colorado
- Man dies after fall from Pulpit Rock, Norwegian cliff featured in ‘Mission Impossible’
- ‘Rarely seen’ venomous rattlesnake discovered by wildlife officials in Ohio
- 2-year-old boy killed, mother hurt after tree crashes through roof during tornado
- William Russell, original cast member of ‘Doctor Who’ TV series, dead at 99
© 2024 Cox Media Group
Comments on this article
