NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Suni Williams and a United Launch Alliance technician stand near the crew access arm at Space Launch Complex-41 at nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. Photo credit: NASA Television
We’re less than 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.
The astronauts also made some last minute phone calls before launch.
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 10:52 a.m. EDT on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Weather continues to hold at 90% chance of favorable conditions for liftoff.
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.
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft atop the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is seen during sunrise on the launch pad of Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Wednesday, June 5, 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 10:52 a.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)
6:02 a.m.Flight crew begins suit-up operations 7:28 a.m.Crew walkout from the Neil A. Armstrong Operations & Checkout Building 7:32 a.m.Crew departs, travels to Space Launch Complex-41 8:02 a.m.Crew arrives at pad, ascends tower, enters White Room, and enters Starliner capsule separately 9:27 a.m.Hatch closure and leak checks 9:42 a.m.Hatch closure complete 9:51 a.m.Configure White Room for launch 10:15 a.m.Clear for launch check 10:41 a.m.Crew access arm retracts 10:52 a.m.Liftoff! 10:53 a.m.ULA rocket reaches Max Q 10:56 a.m.Atlas V booster separates 11:07 a.m.Boeing Starliner separates 11:23 a.m.Orbital insertion burn
Starliner will autonomously dock to the station on Thursday, June 6, and remain at the orbiting 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 the commercial crew blog as the countdown to launch continues.
From left, NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore 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 Wednesday, June 5, 2024. Photo credit: NASA Television
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are being outfitted in their Boeing spacesuits inside the crew suit-up roomat 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.
NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronaut Butch Wilmore checks his Boeing spacesuit in the crew suit-up room inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. Photo credit: NASA Television
The astronauts say they’re feeling optimistic about today’s launch.
Once suited, Wilmore and Williams usually 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 once the commander loses. However during today’s game, they played rock, paper, scissors.
The duo have been in quarantine for more than a month.
Launch is scheduled for 10:52 a.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.
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft atop the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is seen during sunrise on the launch pad of Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, ahead of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test. 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.
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 10:52 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
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.
The crew flight test mission makes history in several ways. As the first crewed launch of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, Williams is the first female astronaut to fly on the first flight of a crewed spacecraft. The launch 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.
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft aboard is seen illuminated by spotlights on the launch pad at Space Launch Complex-41 ahead of the NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, Wednesday, June 5, 2024 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Photo Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
Weather is looking beautiful for NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test to send two of the agency’s astronauts to the International Space Station. Launch weather officers with the U.S. Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron predict a 90% chance of favorable weather conditions at the launch pad for a liftoff, scheduled for 10:52 a.m. EDT.
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, carrying NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore, commander, and Suni Williams, pilot, on a ULA (United Launch Alliance) Atlas V rocket will launch from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Following a poll for fueling by NASA, Boeing, and ULA, the Atlas V rocket now is being filled with liquid oxygen in the first stage and a combination of liquid oxygen and hydrogen in the Centaur upper stage. RP-1, a rocket-grade kerosene, was loaded into the first stage previously.
The Starliner spacecraft, named Calypso, can fly autonomously or be steered manually and is expected to rendezvous and dock with the space station at approximately 12:15 p.m., Thursday, June 6. Wilmore and Williams will spend about a week at the orbiting laboratory before the spacecraft 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 crewed rotation missions to the space station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.
NASA’s mission coverage begins at 6:45 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.
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft aboard is seen at sunset on the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 ahead of the NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, Friday, May 31, 2024 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test is the first launch with astronauts of the Boeing spacecraft and United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Photo Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
NASA, Boeing, and ULA (United Launch Alliance) are forgoing a Crew Flight Test launch attempt Sunday, June 2, to give the team additional time to assess a ground support equipment issue at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex-41 in Florida.
Saturday’s launch to carry NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station scrubbed due to an observation of a ground launch sequencer. The system was unsuccessful in verifying the sequencer’s necessary redundancy.
ULA will assess the ground support equipment overnight, and NASA will provide an update June 2 on next steps for the flight. The next available launch opportunities are Wednesday, June 5, and Thursday, June 6.
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft aboard is seen on the launch pad at Space Launch Complex-41 following a scrub of NASA’s, Boeing Crew Flight Test. Photo Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
NASA, Boeing, and ULA (United Launch Alliance) will host a news conference at 3 p.m. EDT to discuss Saturday’s scrubbed launch attempt of the agency’s Crew Flight Test due to an observation of a ground launch sequencer. The system was unsuccessful in verifying the sequencer’s necessary redundancy.
NASA will provide news conference coverage on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.
The following will participate in the news conference:
Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Commercial Crew Program, Boeing
Tory Bruno, president and CEO, ULA
Media may ask questions in person and via phone. Limited auditorium space will be available for in-person participation. For the dial-in number and passcode, media should contact the newsroom at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.
From left, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams wave to family and friends outside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, June 1, 2024. Photo Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
Let’s get to know the two NASA astronauts flying Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft for the first time as part of the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test mission.
Butch Wilmore is the commander of tonight’s mission. Previously, he was a fighter pilot, U.S. Navy captain, and completed two other spaceflights for Expedition 41 in 2014 and for STS-129 for space shuttle Atlantis in 2009. Wilmore has logged 178 days in space. He was selected as an astronaut by NASA in July 2000.
Outside of his current mission, he serves as pastor and leads weekly Bible studies and participates in mission trips throughout South and Central America to assist medical professionals.
Wilmore grew up in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. He earned a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in electrical engineering from Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, before graduating with another master’s degree in aviation systems from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He is also a graduate of the United States Naval Test Pilot School, Patuxent River, Maryland. He is married and has two children.
Suni Williams is the pilot of the Starliner spacecraft and is the first woman to fly on the first flight of a crewed spacecraft. She is also a retired U.S. Navy captain and completed two spaceflight missions – Expeditions 14/15 in 2006 and 32/33 in 2012. Williams has logged 322 days in space. She became a NASA astronaut in 1998.
While not training for NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, Williams spends time with her two rescue Labrador retrievers, Gunner and Rotor. She plans to bring their dogs tags to the space station while on the week-long mission.
Williams graduated with her bachelor’s degree in physical science from the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, before obtaining her master’s degree in engineering management from the Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne. In total, she has logged more than 3,000 flight hours in over 30 different aircraft.
Williams grew up in Needham, Massachusetts. She is married and enjoys working on cars, homes, and airplanes.
Liftoff remains on schedule for 12:25 p.m. EDT fromSpace Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
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.”
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.
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 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.
