NASA’s Boeing Starliner successfully launched on Wednesday, June 5th, carrying astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore. This third attempt aims to finally achieve success, with the capsule scheduled to dock at the International Space Station (ISS) until at least June 14th, potentially longer depending on weather conditions. This milestone, following years of delays and technical issues, is a celebratory moment for NASA and Boeing.
Astronauts on the ISS witnessed this historic event, sharing glimpses on social media. NASA’s official account on X (formerly Twitter) highlighted the mission’s significance: “This Crew Flight Test aims to certify the spacecraft for routine space travel to and from the @Space_Station.” The Starliner, propelled by an Atlas V rocket, represents NASA’s latest effort to leverage private sector partnerships for human spaceflight.
The launch, originally scheduled for 10:52 am EDT (14:52 GMT) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, was not only witnessed from Earth but also captured from space. NASA’s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) documented the spacecraft’s ascent, providing a stunning view of this achievement. The National Weather Service State College shared a video featuring satellite images of the launch, showing a trail of smoke as the spacecraft ascended.
This successful launch follows a failed attempt on Saturday, halted just over four minutes before liftoff due to a defective power supply linked to the computer. The success of this mission marks a significant milestone, four years after SpaceX, another NASA contractor, conducted its first manned mission.
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