Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is finally set to launch astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) for NASA, after years of delays and setbacks. The launch, scheduled for May 6, 2023, will be the first time astronauts have ridden an Atlas V rocket since NASA’s Project Mercury, which began with John Glenn’s historic orbit of the Earth in 1962. It will also be the 100th launch of the Atlas V, which has been used to deploy satellites and spacecraft into orbit.
The mission, known as Crew Flight Test (CFT), will carry astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams to the ISS, where they will spend approximately one week conducting research and testing the Starliner’s systems. Williams, a 58-year-old former Naval test pilot, has flown over 30 different aircraft and has accumulated 322 days in space over two missions since her initial flight in 2007. Wilmore, a 61-year-old retired Navy captain, has spent 178 days in space since his first of two space missions in 2009.
The CFT mission is a crucial step towards certifying the Starliner spacecraft for operational missions to the ISS. In 2019, an uncrewed Starliner mission to the ISS ended in failure due to software and engineering issues. The spacecraft returned to Earth several days earlier than planned, and the mission was cut short.
Following the successful CFT mission, NASA will begin the final process of certifying the Starliner and its systems for crewed missions to the space station. The launch is scheduled for 10:34 p.m. EDT on May 6, 2023, and will be broadcast live on NASA’s YouTube channel.
