The first human spaceflight, a Boeing Starliner, has taken off, with two veterans on board

For the first time, a Boeing spaceship was launched with people on board. The crew of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner aircraft, which is on its way to the space station, consists of two experienced NASA astronauts: Barry Wilmore (61 years old) and Sunita Williams (58 years old).

The two veterans are old enough to see the first moon landing live on television. This test flight is their third space mission for both. They previously flew on the Space Shuttle, among other things, and also spent several months on the International Space Station.

As with SpaceX’s first crewed flight of Crew Dragon, NASA selected experienced astronauts who are expected to be the most able to respond calmly in unexpected situations.

Watch the launch here:

the Crew flight test The Starliner flight was actually supposed to launch in May, but was delayed due to a valve problem in Boeing’s Atlas V launch vehicle.

It was another problem for the aircraft manufacturer’s spaceship. Since its first test flight at the end of 2019, at that time without astronauts on board, the Starliner vehicle has had to overcome many obstacles. That first test flight did not go well: The capsule suffered a series of software-related problems shortly after liftoff, leaving it stuck in an orbit too low to reach the International Space Station.

After a series of upgrades, the reusable capsule successfully docked with the space station on its second attempt in May 2022, with only a dummy still on board. However, before the first manned flight, new problems were discovered, including the main parachute lines and the capsule’s wiring. As a result, the launch date continued to be postponed.

If all goes well, the Starliner will dock autonomously with the Harmony module on the ISS tomorrow at 6:15pm (Dutch time). “Sonny” Williams and “Butch” Wilmore will remain aboard the International Space Station for a week and then return as planned aboard the Starliner spacecraft and land at one of four possible landing zones in the United States.

The Boeing Starliner is the third spacecraft capable of transporting astronauts to and from the International Space Station, joining SpaceX’s Crew Dragon and Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft.