1st Starliner astronauts finish dress rehearsal before May 6 launch NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams finished a big dress rehearsal before their historic launch upon Boeing Starliner no earlier than May 6, agency officials said Friday (April 26) hours after the rehearsal finished.
The one-week Crew Flight Test passed its latest flight readiness review with NASA on Thursday (April 25).
CFT, the first Starliner mission with astronauts, aims to certify the spacecraft for six-month missions to the ISS that may start as soon as 2025.
Read more about Starliner being “go for launch” here at Space.com.
Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Sunita Williams landed their NASA T-38 supersonic jet at the space center’s Launch and Landing Facility after a short flight from Houston’s Ellington Field near the Johnson Space Center.
The astronauts will launch to the ISS on Boeing’s Starliner and an Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station near KSC.
Their one-week mission to the ISS is a final shakedown cruise for Boeing’s Starliner to prove it is ready for operational NASA crew flights.
At the end of the mission, Starliner will parachute to Earth and make a land-based landing in the southwestern United States.
Astronauts on the first Starliner complete dress rehearsal prior to launch on May 6.
NASA officials said on Friday, April 26, hours after NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams concluded a lengthy dress rehearsal prior to their historic launch aboard the Boeing Starliner, no earlier than May 6.
NASA officials stated on a blog post on Friday, April 26, that Williams and Wilmore had accomplished a number of launch day milestones, such as getting dressed, using a flight deck simulator, and using the same software that will be used during the launch.
The rehearsal, which was held at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Orlando, Florida, featured a countdown with the Starliner spacecraft atop the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket that will transport it to the International Space Station (ISS).
This Thursday, April 25, the one-week Crew Flight Test cleared NASA’s most recent flight readiness review. In order to certify the spacecraft for six-month missions to the International Space Station (ISS), which could begin as early as 2025, CFT, the first Starliner mission with astronauts, is planned. Visit Space.com to learn more about Starliner’s “go for launch.”.
At the launch site come the Starliner astronauts.
In preparation for their historic May 6 launch to the International Space Station, the two NASA astronauts who will pilot Boeing’s first crewed Starliner spacecraft have arrived at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center.
After making a quick flight from Houston’s Ellington Field, which is close to the Johnson Space Center, pilot Sunita Williams and flight commander Butch Wilmore of the Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test touched down at the space center’s Launch and Landing Facility.
Space Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, close to KSC, will be the launch site for the astronauts’ Starliner and Atlas V rocket, which will carry them to the International Space Station. They are using their one-week mission to the ISS as a last shakedown cruise to demonstrate to NASA that Boeing’s Starliner is prepared for use on operational crew flights. Starliner will parachute to Earth at the end of the mission and land on American soil in the southwest.
