HOUSTON - The Boeing Company in Arlington County, Va. announced that National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams successfully docked Boeing's Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS), about 26 hours after launching from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on 5 June 2024. The astronauts monitored Starliner as it autonomously conducted a series of maneuvers to steadily bring the spacecraft closer to the orbiting laboratory before docking.
On the way to the ISS, the crew completed a series of tests including manually flying Starliner for the first time in space. The two Starliner astronauts, who are joining seven others currently living on the station, will assist with various tests and conduct scientific experiments while in space.
"It is both amazing and humbling to join the fleet of commercial spacecraft capable of conducting crewed transportation services to and from the space station for NASA. Our teams have done some great work to get us to this point," said Kay Sears, vice president and general manager of Space, Intelligence & Weapon Systems for Boeing Defense, Space & Security.
Wilmore and Williams are also the first to launch on an Atlas V rocket and are currently experiencing microgravity on their way to the space station. They will conduct a series of flight test objectives, including manually flying Starliner.
Starliner carries about 760 pounds (345 kilograms) of cargo along with the two crew members. Once docked to the ISS, Wilmore and Williams will spend about a week on station before returning to Earth. Following a successful CFT, Boeing, and NASA will continue working to certify Starliner for long-duration operational missions to the ISS.
