Boeing’s Starliner, a semireusable vessel designed to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) and low-Earth orbit, is set to launch its first crewed flight test (CFT) Monday evening.
According to NASA, launch of the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket and Boeing Starliner spacecraft is targeted for 10:34 p.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
On Saturday, NASA said the weather looked promising for the event: “Launch weather officers with the U.S. Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron predict a 95 percent chance of favorable weather conditions at the launchpad for a liftoff….”
Following launch, the spacecraft is expected to dock to the forward-facing port of the ISS’ Harmony module shortly before 1 a.m. Wednesday.
During the flight test, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will travel to the ISS for about a week, where they will test the Starliner spacecraft and its subsystems before NASA certifies the transportation system for rotational missions to the orbiting laboratory for the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, the space agency said.
Should the flight test be successful, rotations to the space outpost will begin with Starliner-1, scheduled for 2025. Â
How to Watch
Coverage of the launch will begin at 6:30 p.m. on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and NASA’s website.
Following the 10:34 p.m. launch, NASA Television will provide continuous coverage until the spacecraft docks with the ISS, according to the space agency.
Where will you be when @BoeingSpace #Starliner launches?
— NASA (@NASA) May 5, 2024
Check out the @ULAlaunch visibility map to see if you will be in the historic launch's line of sight! If not, make sure to tune into our broadcast on May 6 at 6:30pm ET (2230 UTC): https://t.co/LDc8N1YYPO pic.twitter.com/Zx9jpvOi88
