NASA’s Boeing Astronauts at Launch Pad

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams arrive Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida ahead of liftoff scheduled for 12:25 p.m. ET Saturday, June 1, 2024.
NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams arrive Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida ahead of liftoff scheduled for 12:25 p.m. ET Saturday, June 1, 2024. Wilmore and Williams are the first to launch aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Photo credit: NASA Television

We’re about three hours away from NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams heading to the International Space Station. 

Wilmore and Williams just arrived at the crew access tower at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida and will soon head into the White Room. The environmentally controlled chamber at the outer end of the access arm platform is where astronauts prepare to enter Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. 

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams walk through the crew access arm at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida before loading into Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket ahead of liftoff scheduled for 12:25 p.m. ET Saturday, June 1, 2024. Photo credit: NASA Television

While in the White Room, the crew will make any last-minute adjustments before launch. Technicians also will complete a series of checkouts before Wilmore enters the capsule, followed by Williams. 

The Starliner spacecraft is set to launch at 12:25 p.m. EDT on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Launch weather officers with the U.S. Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron predict a 90% chance of favorable weather conditions with onshore winds and the cumulus cloud rule being the primary weather concerns at the launch pad for a liftoff, scheduled for 12:25 p.m. EDT. 

Follow the mission blog for the most up-to-date operations as launch milestones occur. Watch NASA’s mission coverage on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.

NASA Astronauts Wave to Family, Friends as They Head to Launch Pad

NASA Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams walk out of Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building on Saturday, June 1, 2024, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams walk out of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building on Saturday, June 1, 2024, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew members are on their way to load up into Boeing’s Astrovan for the trip to the launch pad of Space Launch Complex-41 at nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, where they will launch to the International Space Station aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at 12:25 p.m. Photo credit: NASA Television

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore, commander, and Suni Williams, pilot, are suited up and on their way to the launch pad for today’s launch. 

The duo spent about an hour putting on their suits and completing suit leak checks inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 

After departing the building, Wilmore and Williams waved to family and friends waiting outside before loading into Boeing’s Astrovan. The nine-mile drive will take the astronauts to the launch pad at nearby Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Wilmore and Williams are the first crew to fly aboard Boeing’s Starliner as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Liftoff to the International Space Station is scheduled for 12:25 p.m. EDT. The crew is expected to arrive at the orbiting laboratory for rendezvous and docking at 1:50 p.m., Sunday, June 2. 

After suit-up and final fit checks, NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore enter the elevator in the Astronaut Crew Quarters on Saturday, June 1, 2024, inside Kennedy Space Center’s Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building in Florida.
After suit-up and final fit checks, NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore enter the elevator in the Astronaut Crew Quarters on Saturday, June 1, 2024, inside Kennedy Space Center’s Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building in Florida. Photo credit: NASA Television

Wilmore and Williams will spend about a week at the space station before the crew capsule makes a parachute and airbag-assisted landing in the southwestern United States. 

Once the flight test is complete, NASA will begin the final process of certifying Starliner and its systems for regular human spaceflight launches. 

Today’s launch makes history in several ways. Williams is the first female astronaut to fly on the first flight of a crewed spacecraft. It also marks the first crewed launch on the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket and the first crewed launch on an Atlas-family class rocket since Gordon Cooper on the last Mercury program flight aboard “Faith 7” in May 1963. 

Learn about the crew flight test by following the mission blog, the commercial crew blog, @commercial crew on X, and commercial crew on Facebook. Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station, and @ISS Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test Launch Milestones

An image of Boeing Starliner spacecraft aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas Vrocket
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft atop the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at sunrise on the launch pad of Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Saturday, June 1, 2024, ahead of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test. Photo credit: NASA Television

In less than four hours, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are set to lift off at 12:25 p.m. EDT aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. 

As part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, the mission is the first crewed flight for the Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station. 

Here is a look at some key milestones leading up to today’s launch: 

Time             Event (All times approximate and subject to change)
8 a.m.             Flight crew begins suit-up operations
9:01 a.m.       Crew walkout from the Neil A. Armstrong Operations Checkout Building
9:05 a.m.      Crew departs, travels to Space Launch Complex-41
9:21 a.m.       Crew arrives at pad, ascends tower, enters White Room, and enters Starliner capsule separately
10:48 a.m.    Hatch closure and leak checks
11:17 a.m.      Hatch closure complete
11:26 a.m.     Configure White Room for launch
11:50 a.m.     Clear for launch check
12:04 p.m.    Crew access arm retracts
12:25 p.m.    Liftoff!
12:26 p.m.    ULA rocket reaches Max Q
12:28 p.m.    Atlas V booster separates
12:40 p.m.    Boeing Starliner separates
12:56 p.m.    Orbital insertion burn

Starliner will autonomously dock to the station on Sunday, June 2, and remain at the orbital laboratory for about a week. Although Starliner is designed to dock autonomously, the astronauts aboard the spacecraft will demonstrate manual control processes and capabilities before the spacecraft makes its automated final approach. 

Stay tuned for more updates on this blog as the countdown to launch continues. 

NASA’s Astronauts Suit Up for Boeing Crew Flight Test Launch

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams perform checks of their Boeing spacesuits in the crew suit-up room inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, June 1, 2024. Photo credit: NASA Television

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are being outfitted in their Boeing spacesuits inside the crew suit-up room at the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida as preparations continue for the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test. 

The Boeing Starliner suits are specifically tailored for this launch and are 40% lighter than previous spacesuits worn by NASA astronauts.  

Once suited, Wilmore and Williams play the ritual card game that occurs before any human spaceflight mission launching from the Florida spaceport. The point of the game is that the commander must use up all his or her bad luck before the launch, so the crew can only leave for the launch pad when the commander loses.  

Lift off is scheduled for 12:25 p.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex-41 at nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. 

NASA’s mission coverage is underway on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media. 

Watch Live: NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test Coverage Underway

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft aboard is seen at sunrise on the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 ahead of the NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Saturday, June 1, 2024. Photo Credit: NASA Television

NASA’s coverage of the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test is underway on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website

For the first time in history, Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft will send two of the agency’s astronauts to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Butch Wilmore, commander, and Suni Williams, pilot, will launch aboard Starliner on a ULA (United Launch Alliance) Atlas V rocket at 12:25 p.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. 

Launch weather officers with the U.S. Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron predict a 90% chance of favorable weather conditions, with onshore winds and the cumulus cloud rule being the primary weather concerns at the launch pad for a liftoff, scheduled for 12:25 p.m. EDT. 

The crew flight test is Boeing’s second flight to the International Space Station and third Starliner flight test overall, following Orbital Flight Test-2, an uncrewed mission in May 2022, and Orbital Flight Test, an uncrewed mission in December 2019. 

Today’s launch makes history in several ways. Williams is the first female astronaut to fly on the first flight of a crewed spacecraft. It also marks the first crewed launch on the ULA Atlas V rocket, and the first crewed launch on an Atlas-family class rocket since Gordon Cooper on the last Mercury program flight aboard “Faith 7” in May 1963. 

Learn more about the most up-to-date operations as launch milestones occur by following the mission blog, the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew on X, and commercial crew on Facebook. 

NASA, Mission Partners Ready for Starliner Launch

Image of NASA and mission partners conducting a prelaunch briefing at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Friday, May 31, 2024 ahead of NASA, Boeing Crew Flight Test
NASA and mission partners participate in a prelaunch briefing for NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Friday, May 31, 2024. From left to right at the dais are Derrol Nail, NASA Communications; Jim Free, NASA associate administrator; Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program; Dana Weigel, manager, NASA’s International Space Station Program; Mike Fincke, NASA astronaut; Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Boeing Commercial Crew Program; Gary Wentz, vice president, Government and Commercial Programs, ULA; Mark Burger, launch weather officer, U.S. Space Force, 45th Weather Squadron. As part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are the first to launch aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft atop a ULA Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Liftoff is scheduled for 12:25 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 1, 2024. Photo credit: NASA

In less than 24 hours, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will be the first to launch aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

NASA, Boeing, and ULA (United Launch Alliance) are ready for the Saturday, June 1, launch of the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test. The partners made the announcement during a prelaunch media briefing held earlier from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

“I’m very proud of the teams who have worked really hard the last two and a half weeks to prepare for launch,” said Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. “We’re really ready to go fly.”

Launch weather officers with the U.S. Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron predict a 90% chance of favorable weather conditions for tomorrow’s launch, with ground winds and the cumulus cloud rule being the primary weather concerns.

The integrated ULA Atlas V rocket and Starliner spacecraft stack rolled out to the pad at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on May 30 in preparation for liftoff. Meanwhile, Wilmore and Williams have remained in preflight quarantine inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building following their return to the Florida spaceport on May 28.

“We look forward to flying this mission. This is a test flight; we know we’re going to learn things,” said Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Commercial Crew Program, Boeing. “We are going to improve, and that improvement starts with the Starliner-1 mission and it will be even better than the mission we’re about to fly.”

The mission will send Wilmore and Williams to the orbiting laboratory for about a week before Starliner makes a parachute and airbag-assisted landing in the southwestern United States.

After successful completion of the mission, NASA will begin the final process of certifying Starliner and its systems for crewed rotation missions to the space station. The Starliner capsule will carry four astronauts, or a mix of crew and cargo, for NASA missions to low Earth orbit.

Watch a replay of the media briefing on YouTube.

Liftoff is scheduled for no earlier than 12:25 p.m. Saturday, June 1. NASA will provide live launch coverage beginning at 8:15 a.m. on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.

NASA, Partners Host Boeing Crew Flight Test Prelaunch Media Briefing

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, ahead of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test. As part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are the first to launch to the International Space Station aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. Liftoff is scheduled for 12:25 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 1. Photo credit: NASA/Isaac Watson

Prelaunch operations continue ahead of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test launch. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are ready, and the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, attached on the ULA (United Launch Alliance) Atlas V rocket, rolled out to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on May 30.

NASA, Boeing, and ULA will hold a prelaunch briefing at 1 p.m. EDT, May 31, to answer questions from the media ahead of liftoff.

The briefing participants include:

  • NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free
  • Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
  • Dana Weigel, manager, NASA’s International Space Station Program
  • NASA astronaut Mike Fincke
  • Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Commercial Crew Program, Boeing
  • Gary Wentz, vice president, Government and Commercial Programs, ULA
  • Mark Burger, launch weather officer, 45th Weather Squadron, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

Coverage of the briefing will air live on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.

Launch of the ULA Atlas V rocket and Boeing Starliner spacecraft is targeted for 12:25 p.m. June 1. Starliner will carry Wilmore and Williams on a 25-hour journey to the International Space Station before docking to the forward-facing port of the orbiting laboratory’s Harmony module.

NASA, Mission Partners ‘Go’ for Crew Flight Test Launch

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams arrive back at the Launch and Landing Facility at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, ahead of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test. The first launch attempt on May 6 was scrubbed. As part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, Wilmore and Williams are the first to launch to the International Space Station aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Liftoff is scheduled for 12:25 p.m. EDT on Saturday, June 1. Photo credit: NASA/Cory S. Huston

NASA and Boeing teams polled “go” to proceed with plans to launch the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test to the International Space Station at 12:25 p.m. EDT Saturday, June 1. During a Delta-Agency Flight Test Readiness Review Wednesday at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, leaders from NASA, Boeing, and ULA (United Launch Alliance) verified launch readiness, including all systems, facilities, and teams supporting the test flight.

A backup launch opportunity is available on Sunday, June 2, with additional launch windows on Wednesday, June 5, and Thursday, June 6.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams returned to Kennedy on May 28, and will remain in quarantine at the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building until Saturday’s launch. The crew previously quarantined in Houston while mission teams worked to resolve various items with the rocket and spacecraft since scrubbing an initial launch attempt on May 6.

Next up, NASA leaders, along with Boeing and ULA partners, will hold a prelaunch news conference at 1 p.m. EDT Friday, May 31, at Kennedy’s press auditorium.

Liftoff of the Atlas V rocket and Starliner spacecraft will occur from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The Crew Flight Test will send Wilmore and Williams to the orbiting laboratory for about a week before returning to Earth aboard the reusable crew capsule, which will make a parachute- and- airbag-assisted landing in the southwestern United States.

NASA, Mission Partners Answer Questions Behind Starliner Scrub

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft at launch pad at Space Launch Complex-41 on Saturday, May 4, 2024 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. NASA/Joel Kowsky

Managers from NASA, Boeing, and ULA (United Launch Alliance) hosted a media teleconference to discuss ongoing work ahead of sending NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test. 

The media event provided an update on a valve ULA replaced on the Centaur upper stage of the Atlas V rocket, as well as a small helium leak in the spacecraft’s service module, and a propulsion system assessment to understand potential helium system impacts on some Starliner return scenarios. 

Listen to a replay of the media teleconference on the agency’s YouTube channel. 

Wilmore and Williams are the first to launch aboard Boeing’s Starliner on an Atlas V rocket. The astronauts will spend about a week at the orbiting laboratory before the crew capsule makes a parachute and airbag-assisted landing in the southwestern United States. 

The crew remains in quarantine in preparation for the launch. NASA, Boeing, and ULA also will participate in a Delta-Agency Flight Test Readiness Review on Wednesday, May 29, to evaluate the work performed since the last launch attempt on May 6. 

Liftoff is scheduled for 12:25 p.m. Saturday, June 1, from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. After successful completion of the flight test, NASA will begin the final process of certifying Starliner and its systems for crewed rotation missions to the space station. 

Learn more about NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test by following the mission blog, the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew on X, and commercial crew on Facebook. 

NASA, Mission Partners Hold Teleconference Ahead of Starliner Launch

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft aboard is seen on the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 ON Sunday, May 5, 2024 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Photo Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

NASA, Boeing, and ULA (United Launch Alliance) will discuss updates regarding ongoing work for the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, which will send NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. 

At 11 a.m. EDT, NASA will host a media teleconference with the following participants: 

  • Jim Free, NASA associate administrator 
  • Ken Bowersox, associate administrator, NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate
  • Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program 
  • Dana Weigel, manager, NASA’s International Space Station Program 
  • Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Boeing Commercial Crew Program 
  • Gary Wentz, vice president, Government and Commercial Programs, ULA 

Audio of the teleconference will stream live on the agency’s website.  

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test scrubbed on Monday, May 6, when ULA discovered a faulty pressure regulation valve on the liquid oxygen tank of the Atlas V rocket’s Centaur upper stage. Tests have been conducted and the valve has been replaced. 

Work continues to assess Starliner performance and redundancy following the discovery of a small helium leak in the spacecraft’s service module. As part of this work, and unrelated to the current leak which remains stable, teams are in the process of completing a follow-on propulsion system assessment to understand potential helium system impacts on some Starliner return scenarios. 

Liftoff is scheduled for no earlier than 12:25 p.m. Saturday, June 1, from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. 

Wilmore and Williams remain in preflight quarantine at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. While there, they have participated in various exercises using Starliner simulators to prepare for flight. The duo will be the first to launch aboard Boeing’s Starliner on an Atlas V rocket, spending about a week at the orbiting laboratory before making a parachute and airbag-assisted landing in the southwestern United States. 

After successful completion of the mission, NASA will begin the final process of certifying Starliner and its systems for crewed rotation missions to the space station. 

Learn more about NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test by following the mission blog, the commercial crew blog, @commercial_crew on X, and commercial crew on Facebook.