CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – After more than a decade of engineering, a Boeing spacecraft is headed to the International Space Station with two of NASA’s most experienced astronauts at the helm.
Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore will be the first NASA astronauts to crew a Starliner mission. Both astronauts are retired US Navy captains.
“I sort of have to pinch myself a little bit to understand we’re going,” shared Williams.
Pictured: Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore
Boeing came up with the idea for the Starliner in 2012 and got a NASA contract four years later. However, setbacks gave SpaceX a private monopoly on low-orbit missions.
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“If we could go back the past three years and talk about the capabilities of the spacecraft – what it was then as envisioned and then where it’s at now after these discoveries,” said Wilmore. “It’s really leaps and bounds forward.”
Now, it’s Boeing’s time to shine after working through glitches and finally getting its Starliner ready to launch. NASA wants private competition to drive more innovation and possibly bring down launch costs. Also, having another provider would allow for an additional option if the other encounters issues.
Williams and Wilmore are scheduled to launch on the CST-100 Starliner on a ULA Atlas V rocket at 10:34 pm on Monday night at Kennedy Space Center.
It will take the duo about 26 hours to reach the International Space Station (ISS). The plan is for the astronauts to stay aboard for about a week.
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