Boeing Starliner spacecraft go for 1st astronaut launch on May 6, NASA says

Meet the 1st astronauts to fly Starliner

Get to know the astronauts inside and outside of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft

Published: 10:30 AM EDT Sun May 5, 2024

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Boeing’s Starliner astronaut mission for NASA is preparing for launch as early as May 6 after years of delays. The mission, known as Starliner-1, will be the first crewed flight of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.

The Starliner-1 crew will consist of two NASA astronauts, Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams. Wilmore will serve as the spacecraft commander, while Williams will serve as the mission specialist. The astronauts will spend about two weeks in space, during which time they will conduct a series of tests and experiments.

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is designed to carry up to seven astronauts to low-Earth orbit. The spacecraft is reusable and can be used for multiple missions. The Starliner-1 mission will be the first of six crewed missions that Boeing is contracted to fly for NASA.

The launch of the Starliner-1 mission has been delayed several times due to technical issues. In 2019, the spacecraft’s first uncrewed test flight failed to reach the International Space Station due to a software glitch. Boeing has since made a number of changes to the spacecraft’s software and hardware.

NASA and Boeing are targeting May 6 for the first crewed Starliner flight test

If Starliner still has not launched by May 16, there will be a longer delay of about 10 days to replace the spacecraft’s propulsion system.