NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore (L) and Suni Williams are seen before boarding the Boeing Starliner spacecraft at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, the United States, June 5, 2024. NASA and Boeing launched the first crewed mission of the Starliner spacecraft from the US state of Florida on Wednesday, sending two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). (Xinhua/Joel Kowsky/NASA)
LOS ANGELES, June 5 (Xinhua) — NASA and Boeing on Wednesday launched the first crewed mission of the Starliner spacecraft from the U.S. state of Florida, sending two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).
The spacecraft lifted off today at 10:52 a.m. Eastern Time aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Space Station in Florida.
ULA confirmed that the Atlas V rocket’s Centaur upper stage has completed its burn off the coast of Newfoundland, putting Starliner on track to arrive at the space station.
The ship is scheduled to dock with the ISS on Thursday, June 6.
The test flight will take NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the ISS for about a week to test the Starliner spacecraft and its subsystems before NASA certifies the transportation system for rotation missions to the orbital laboratory for the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.
The launch of the spacecraft was scheduled for Saturday. But the mission was canceled minutes before launch due to technical problems.
A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on board lifts off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, United States, on June 5. 2024. NASA and Boeing launched the first crewed mission of the Starliner spacecraft from the US state of Florida on Wednesday, sending two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). (Xinhua/Joel Kowsky/NASA)
A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on board lifts off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, United States, on June 5. 2024. NASA and Boeing launched the first crewed mission of the Starliner spacecraft from the US state of Florida on Wednesday, sending two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). (Xinhua/Joel Kowsky/NASA)
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore (L-front) and Suni Williams (R-front) wave before boarding the Boeing Starliner spacecraft at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, United States, on 5 June 2024. NASA and Boeing launched the first crewed mission of the Starliner spacecraft from the US state of Florida on Wednesday, sending two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). (Xinhua/Joel Kowsky/NASA)
