After a few launch attempts ended up getting aborted, Boeing’s Starliner was finally a go this morning as it took off and into orbit. Riding atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket, it soared into the air without any difficulties, making its way to the International Space Station (ISS).
This makes for a fantastic achievement for Boeing, which has been trying to get its craft off the ground, taking every precaution to make sure the mission is fully nominal. As well as for NASA, as the agency will now have another option beyond SpaceX for getting to and from the space station (and other missions within low-Earth orbit).
On board of the Starliner capsule are two astronauts, including Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. Both of which have been overly patient as they waited through the few launch attempts as the mission makes its way to this morning and a successful launch.
It is planned to dock with the space station tomorrow (Thursday) at 12:15 P.M. ET (9:15 A.M. PST), where the two astronauts will spend eight days. They will be testing the various functions of Starliner during this mission, including its manual controls and safety features, and are carrying with them a pump for the station’s urine processor that the crew up there have been patiently waiting for.
Upon finishing their work, both astronauts will be returning home on June 14th aboard the Starliner capsule where it will land using the typical parachute method. The landing location is to be chosen by NASA at the time, depending on the ISS’ orbit and other related variables such as weather conditions.
If you want to experience the launch yourself, you can see everything in the following video provided by NASA on YouTube (previously the live feed):
