NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have entered quarantine as part of the final preparations for the launch of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft.
The launch, targeted for May 6th, will see Wilmore and Williams become the first humans to fly on Starliner. The mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which aims to develop and operate commercial spacecraft for transporting astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS).
During the quarantine period, Wilmore and Williams will have limited contact with others to prevent any potential health risks prior to launch. They will launch aboard the Starliner spacecraft on a ULA (United Launch Alliance) Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The 10-day mission will be a historic moment for both NASA and Boeing. It will follow two previous Starliner flights, one of which failed to reach the ISS due to technical issues. Since then, the spacecraft has undergone a series of upgrades and modifications, and NASA is now confident in its readiness to fly a crew.
A successful mission will give NASA another option for transporting astronauts to and from the ISS, alongside SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, which has been operational since 2020.
