The astronauts of the POT Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams They became the first people to be launched into orbit within a Starliner of Boeingtaking off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 10:52 local time and embarking on a 25-hour flight to the International Space Station. The launch marks the beginning of crewed flight testing of Boeing-NASA Starliner.
“This crew flight test represents the beginning of a new era of space exploration, with astronauts Wilmore and Williams putting Boeing’s Starliner through their paces on their way to the International Space Station,” He said president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, Ted Colbert. «This is a great start. “We look forward to delivering astronauts safely to the space station and returning them home.”
The event marks the first crewed launch of the Starliner to the International Space Station (ISS, in its English acronym)
Wilmore and Williams They are also the first to be launched on a rocket Atlas V and are currently experiencing microgravity on their way to the space station. They will carry out a series of flight test objectives, including manual flying of the Starliner.
Together with the two crew members, the Starliner It transports around 345 kilograms of cargo. Once attached to the ISS, Wilmore and Williams They will spend about a week on the station before returning to Earth. After a successful test flight, Boeing and POT They will continue working to certify the Starliner for long-duration operational missions towards ISS.
