NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test Hatch Closed

Image of Boeing crews close the hatch to the Starliner capsule carrying NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.
Boeing crews close the hatch to the Starliner capsule carrying NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. Photo credit: NASA Television

Just about one hour remains ahead of liftoff of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test to the International Space Station. 

Communication checks with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are complete. The hatch is now closed on the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, named Calypso. Next up, a series of cabin leak checks and a cabin pressurization check will be completed. 

For NASA missions to low Earth orbit, the Starliner capsule, with a diameter of 15 feet (4.56m), will hold four astronauts or a mix of crew and cargo. 

NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore inside Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft ahead of launch on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. Photo credit: NASA Television
NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore inside Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft ahead of launch on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. Photo credit: NASA Television

Inside Starliner for this mission is about 759 pounds of cargo, which includes food, clothing, exercise gear, medical supplies, photo and media equipment, vehicle supplies and tools, and other items. A thumb drive containing about 3,500 images of artwork from children in 35 states and 66 different countries is also set to launch aboard Starliner tonight. 

Wilmore is flying with two gold rings he had made for his father and brother that resemble the U.S. Navy astronaut pilot wing pin. He also brought shirts from his alma maters, Tennessee Technological University and the University of Tennessee. Williams brought shirts from the U.S. Naval Academy and the Sunita L. Williams Elementary School in Needham, Massachusetts. She also has a diver pin and two dog tags from her Labrador retrievers. 

At 10:52 a.m. EDT, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will launch the Starliner crew capsule from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Following a roughly 25-hour journey, Starliner will rendezvous and dock with the space station at 12:15 p.m. Thursday, June 6. 

Watch live coverage of today’s mission 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’s Crew Flight Test Astronauts Arrive at Launch Site

Image of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore stand near the crew access arm at Space Launch Complex-41 at nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Wednesday, June 5, 2024.
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. 

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

image of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams walk out of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building on Wednesday, June 5, 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 Wednesday, June 5, 2024, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 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 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 Wednesday, June 5, 2024, inside Kennedy Space Center’s Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building 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 10:52 a.m. EDT. The crew is expected to arrive at the orbiting laboratory for rendezvous and docking at 12:15 p.m., Thursday, June 6. 

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. 

The crew flight test mission makes history in several ways. Williams is the first female astronaut to fly on the first flight of a crewed spacecraft. The mission 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 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

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
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.

NASA Astronauts Suit Up for Crew Flight Test Launch to Station

Image of NASA astronauts 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. Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore inside
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 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. 

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. 

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test Live Mission Coverage Underway

Image of 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
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. 

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.

Weather 90% ‘Go’ for NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test

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.
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.

Spacewalk Preps Continue as Cosmonaut Reaches Milestone

An aurora swirls above the Indian Ocean in this photograph from the International Space Station as it orbited 266 miles above Earth.
An aurora swirls above the Indian Ocean in this photograph from the International Space Station as it orbited 266 miles above Earth.

Spacesuits and eye checks filled the schedule on Tuesday as the Expedition 71 crew gears up for a trio of spacewalks planned for this month. The International Space Station residents also kept their research and lab maintenance duties while unpacking a new cargo ship.

NASA Flight Engineers Matthew Dominick and Mike Barratt started their morning inside the Quest airlock preparing suits and equipment for upcoming spacewalks. The duo then joined fellow NASA astronauts Tracy C. Dyson and Jeanette Epps after lunchtime for a spacewalk conference with specialists on the ground. Afterward, Dyson and Dominick partnered together organizing and configuring a variety of spacewalk tools in Quest. NASA will announce the spacewalk details and spacewalkers in an upcoming media advisory and news briefing.

Earlier, Epps powered on a pair of Astrobee robotic free flyers for an operations test. She also set up a pair of Kubik research incubators inside the Columbus laboratory module. At the end of the day, Epps gathered in the Harmony module with Barratt and Dominick for eye checks using a medical imaging device viewing the cornea, retina, optic nerve.

Station commander and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko who is on his fifth mission aboard the orbital outpost has accumulated 1,000 days in microgravity as of June 4. The previous record holder was cosmonaut Gennady Padalka who held the record since Sept, 11, 2017, when he landed on Earth completing the Expedition 44 mission and gaining 879 cumulative days in space.

Kononenko joined Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub on Tuesday and continued offloading some of the three tons of cargo packed inside the recently arrived Progress 88 cargo craft. Fellow cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin wrapped up an experiment session and stowed hardware that images Earth’s upper atmosphere in ultraviolet wavelengths. Afterward, he studied ways international crews and mission controllers can improve communications to inform crew training and ensure mission success.

Teams at NASA and Boeing confirmed Monday the company’s Starliner spacecraft, ULA (United Launch Alliance) Atlas V rocket, and ground support equipment are healthy and ready for the next launch attempt. The first Starliner flight with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, known as NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, is targeted to liftoff at 10:52 a.m. EDT Wednesday, June 5, to the International Space Station for about a one week stay aboard the microgravity laboratory.

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.

Get weekly video highlights at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/videoupdate/

Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here: www.nasa.gov/subscribe

Spacesuits, Cargo Ops on Station as Starliner Targets June 5 Launch

Boeing's CST-100 Starliner crew ship approaches the International Space Station above the south Pacific on May 20, 2022.
Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner crew ship approaches the International Space Station during the Orbital Flight Test-2 in May of 2022.

The Expedition 71 crew kicked off Monday with spacesuit work and cargo operations aboard the International Space Station. Back on Earth, mission managers are targeting June 5 for the launch of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on NASA’s Crew Flight Test.

Four NASA astronauts spent much of Monday in the Quest airlock checking out spacesuits and reviewing procedures for a trio of spacewalks targeted to take place in June. Flight Engineer Mike Barratt started the work as he powered up the spacesuits, cleaned cooling loops, and serviced suit components throughout the day. Flight Engineer Tracy C. Dyson assisted Barratt with the suit job then trained on the suit safety systems and jet packs that would be used to maneuver back to the station in the unlikely event of an emergency.

Flight Engineer Matthew Dominick also participated in the spacesuit and jet pack safety training. He also joined Flight Engineer Jeanette Epps and reviewed standard spacewalk procedures such as suiting up, exiting and entering Quest, safety steps, and communication protocols. NASA will announce the spacewalk details and spacewalkers in an upcoming media advisory and news briefing.

On Saturday, June 1, a Roscosmos Progress 88 cargo craft docked to the space station’s Poisk module packed with about three tons food, fuel, and supplies. Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub monitored Progress’ arrival then spent a portion of the weekend and all-day Monday unloading the new cargo. Kononenko also replaced communications gear in the Zvezda service module while Chub set up and photographed a new space physics investigation.

Cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin pointed a camera outside a station window toward Earth today and photographed landmarks for a pair of Earth observation studies. At the end of the day, Grebenkin installed hardware to image Earth’s atmosphere in ultraviolet wavelengths. Researchers use the imagery to understand natural events and man-made impacts on Earth’s surface and atmosphere.

Teams at NASA and Boeing confirmed Monday the company’s Starliner spacecraft, ULA (United Launch Alliance) Atlas V rocket, and ground support equipment are healthy and ready for the next launch attempt. The first Starliner flight with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, known as NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, is targeted to liftoff at 10:52 a.m. EDT Wednesday, June 5, to the International Space Station for about a one week stay aboard the microgravity laboratory.

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.

Get weekly video highlights at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/videoupdate/

Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here: www.nasa.gov/subscribe

NASA, Boeing Set for June 5 Crew Flight Test Launch Attempt

A ULA (United Launch Alliance) Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft aboard is seen on the launch pad at Space Launch Complex-41 ahead of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test Saturday, May 4, 2024, at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
A ULA (United Launch Alliance) Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft aboard is seen on the launch pad at Space Launch Complex-41 ahead of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test Saturday, May 4, 2024, at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test is the first launch of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft and ULA Atlas V rocket with astronauts to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Photo credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

Teams at NASA and Boeing confirmed Monday the company’s Starliner spacecraft, ULA (United Launch Alliance) Atlas V rocket, and ground support equipment are healthy and ready for the next launch attempt. The first Starliner flight with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, known as NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, is targeted to liftoff at 10:52 a.m. EDT Wednesday, June 5, to the International Space Station for about a one week stay aboard the microgravity laboratory.

Work at the launch pad at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida was completed June 2 to change out and test a failed power distribution source that halted a launch attempt on June 1. The Starliner mission management team reviewed multiple aspects of the replacement and troubleshooting steps and polled “go” to proceed during a detailed session as they continue to prep the teams and hardware for the June 5 opportunity.

“I really appreciate all the work by the NASA, Boeing, and ULA teams over the last week,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. “In particular, the ULA team worked really hard to quickly learn more about these issues, keep our NASA and Boeing teams informed, and protect for this next attempt. We will continue to take it one step at a time.”

The weather forecast continues to call for favorable conditions, with U.S. Space Force meteorologists from the 45th Weather Squadron predicting a 90% chance of acceptable conditions at launch time. The ascent corridor and onshore winds weather also is forecast to be acceptable in the unlikely case of an emergency abort during the launch.

Wilmore and Williams continue preparing for launch with proficiency training. The two remain quarantined at Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of liftoff.

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.