LIFT OFF! NASA astronauts pilot the first Starliner crew test on the station - NASA

Editor’s note: This version was updated on June 5, 2024, to include instructions on how to attend the post-dock briefing on Thursday, June 6.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are safely in orbit on the first crewed flight test aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft bound for the International Space Station.

As part of NASA’s Boeing Crew test flight, the astronauts lifted off at 10:52 a.m. EDT Wednesday on a ULA (United Launch Alliance) Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Space Force Station Cape Canaveral in Florida in an end-to-end test of the Starliner system.

“Two intrepid NASA astronauts are well on their way on this historic first test flight of a brand new spacecraft,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Boeing’s Starliner marks a new chapter in American exploration. Human spaceflight is a brave task – but that’s why it’s worth doing. It’s an exciting time for NASA, our commercial partners, and the future of exploration. Go Starliner, Go Butch and Suni!”

As part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, the flight test will help validate the transportation system, launch pad, rocket, spacecraft, on-orbit operations and return-to-Earth capabilities with astronauts on board as the agency prepares to certify Starliner for orbital missions to the space station. Starliner has previously performed two uncrewed orbital flights, including a test to and from the space station, along with a demonstration of the pods disruption.

“With the launch of Starliner, separation from the rocket and arrival in orbit, Boeing’s Crew Flight Test is on track,” said Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager of Boeing’s Commercial Crew Program. “Everyone is focused on giving Sun and Butch a safe, comfortable ride and completing a successful test mission from start to finish.”

During the Starliner’s flight, Boeing will monitor a series of automatic spacecraft maneuvers from its mission control center in Houston. NASA teams will monitor space station operations throughout the flight from the Mission Control Center at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

“The Starliner flight crew represents over a decade of work by the Commercial Crew Program and our partners at Boeing and ULA,” said Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “For many of us, this is a career-defining moment bringing a new crew transport capability to our agency and our nation. We’ll take it one step at a time, putting the Starliner through its paces and staying vigilant until Butch and Suni land safely back on Earth at the end of this test flight.”

Starliner will dock autonomously to the forward port of the station’s Harmony module at approximately 12:15 p.m. Thursday, June 6, and will remain in the orbiting laboratory for about a week.

Wilmore and Williams will help verify the spacecraft’s operation as intended by testing the environmental control system, displays and control system, as well as maneuvering the thrusters, among other in-flight tests.

After a safe arrival at the space station, Wilmore and Williams will join the Expedition 71 crew of NASA astronauts Michael Barratt, Matt Dominick, Tracy C. Dyson and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkin and Oleg Kononenko.

NASA’s coverage of arrival and in-flight events is as follows (all Eastern times and subject to change based on real-time operations):

Mission coverage will continue on NASA’s television channels throughout the Starliner’s flight and will resume on NASA+ before docking.

Thursday, June 6
9:30 a.m. – Coverage of the arrival begins on NASA+, the NASA app and YouTube, and continues on NASA Television and agency website.

12.15pm – Target anchorage

2 pm – Opening the hatch

2:20 pm – Welcome speech

3:30 pm – Post-docking press conference at NASA Johnson with the following participants: