Wilmore and Williams en route to the ISS aboard Starliner
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft successfully entered Earth orbit on its first manned mission to the International Space Station (ISS) after launching from Cape Canaveral on Wednesday.
Why it matters : This successful mission is essential for Starliner to be declared an operational crew system by NASA, allowing Boeing to compete with SpaceX for other missions to the space station.
Recall of facts : This is Boeing’s third attempt to send a crew to the ISS, after failures due to technical problems.
The craft launched at 10:52 a.m. ET from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, aboard an Atlas V rocket. Live NASA coverage began early Wednesday morning.
Details : Aboard Starliner are veteran NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore, mission commander, and Suni Williams, pilot of the spacecraft.
Williams’ participation marks the first time a woman has participated in a test flight of an orbital spacecraft.
Context : The manned test was delayed for years due to technical problems with Starliner, forcing Boeing to overhaul aspects of the aircraft and conduct additional uncrewed test flights.
Malfunctions include stuck propulsion system valves, software glitches and the use of hundreds of feet of flammable protective tape. The mission’s most recent delays were related to problems with United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket, not Starliner.
To be continued : The spacecraft is scheduled to dock with the space station at 12:15 p.m. ET on Thursday.
Wilmore and Williams will spend about a week on the ISS testing Starliner components before returning to Earth aboard the spacecraft, with a parachute and airbag assisted landing in the southwest United States.
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