Boeing aims to launch its first Starliner flight with astronauts on board on Saturday, in a final test of the spacecraft that's been long delayed.Starliner's crew debut has been delayed by years, with SpaceX's competing Dragon capsule flying astronauts for NASA regularly since 2020.aims to launch its first Starliner flight with astronauts on board on Saturday, in a long-delayed final test of the spacecraft.
NASA and Boeing called off a launch attempt in early May due to an issue detected with the rocket. ULA, a joint venture of Boeing and in 2021. Boeing is under contract to fly six operational Starliner missions to the ISS. Saturday's crew flight test represents the final major step before receiving NASA certification to begin regular missions.Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are flying on Starliner, with the former serving as the spacecraft's commander and the latter as its pilot.
Williams was selected by NASA in 1998 and has also flown to space twice before, on the Space Shuttle and then the Soyuz. Williams was also a Navy pilot like Wilmore before joining the space agency.Boeing's Starliner spacecraft atop the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is seen on the launch pad of Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Thursday, May 30, 2024.Starliner launches on ULA's Atlas V.