Who are the astronauts on the Starliner spacecraft? Meet the crew of the first manned flight
Technicians are working to get Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft ready for its first crewed flight. When it launches these two astronauts will be aboard.
Boeing’s Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 Starliner spacecraft will one day be able to carry up to seven astronauts or a mix of crew and cargo into space once it is certified by NASA. However, first it has to perform a crewed test flight, something that has been delayed three times now and as of publication there is no scheduled date to try again.
While technicians at Cape Canaveral are working to resolve the latest issues two NASA astronauts, Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams, are ready and waiting to take the Starliner for a spin in space.
Who are the astronauts on the first manned flight of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft?
Both Wilmore and Williams are experienced navy pilots who both achieved the rank of captain before joining the US space agency. She joined NASA in 1998 and will be the pilot of the first manned test flight while he joined NASA in 2000 and will be the commander.
Together they’ve logged a combined total of 500 days in space and conducting more than 75 hours of spacewalks over eleven of them according to NASA. Williams even ran the Boston Marathon aboard the space station.
As part of the first crewed test flight, Williams and Wilmore will travel to the International Space Station, to which both have been, and spend roughly a week there. They will be testing the space capsule to confirm that it can be used as a ‘safe haven’ in the event of a catastrophic event aboard the ISS.
The Starliner spacecraft is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program where it is contracting private companies to carry its sponsored astronauts into low-Earth orbit in which SpaceX is also participating. Boeing’s module will carry up to four astronauts as well as time-critical scientific research equipment when it begins regular service missions to the International Space Station.
According to the aerospace company “the Starliner has an innovative, weldless structure and is reusable up to 10 times with a six-month turnaround time. It also features wireless internet and tablet technology for crew interfaces.”
It is currently in the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida sitting atop an Atlas V rocket, built by United Launch Alliance (ULA), a Boeing-Lockheed Martin joint venture.
The crew is ready for launch will happen at 12:25 ET on June 1, 2024.