NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore gave an inspiring speech Wednesday alongside Suni Williams before the Boeing Starliner spacecraft lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Third time’s a charm for NASA and Boeing, who successfully launched two astronauts into space from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Wednesday morning.
The launch, scheduled for 10:52 a.m., went off without a hitch, marking Boeing’s first crewed test flight.
A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket and a Boeing Starliner are en route to the International Space Station (ISS) carrying astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. The Starliner will arrive at the space station after about 24 hours of flight and will dock with the research station in orbit about 250 miles above Earth.
“Suni and I saw a lot of American flags on our way to the launch pad, many of you waving flags at us,” Wilmore said less than six minutes before the rocket lifted off. “Then when we got to the launch pad and looked up, of course there was the American flag on the side of the white room and then on the side of the rocket itself. We know that it symbolizes unity and resilience and united efforts for the common good, and that’s what Suni and I have witnessed this past month.”
Boeing plans first astronaut flight in June after investigating small leak in new capsule
Watch Starliner launch into space:
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams launched into space Wednesday aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
“Each one of you embodies what our nation’s forefathers envisioned,” he continued. “Citizens dedicated to God, family and country. Passionate and tough, using their talents and abilities for the common good. And we all know that when the going gets tough, and it often is, the tough ones push through. And you did. Suni and I are honored to share our spaceflight dream with each and every one of you.”
Wilmore and Williams will stay aboard the ISS for about a week to test “the Starliner spacecraft and its subsystems prior to work completing final certification of the transportation system for a rotating mission to the orbital laboratory as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program,” NASA said in a statement.
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA on June 5, 2024, carrying two astronauts aboard Boeing’s Starliner 1 Crew Flight Test (CFT) for a mission to the International Space Station. (Reuters/Steve Nesias/Reuters Photo)
Boeing posted a mission update saying that engineers and technicians closed the hatch on the CST-100 Starliner after making sure Wilmore and Williams were safely secured in their seats at 9:08 a.m. ET.
Boeing’s Starliner program is ‘years behind schedule’: Arthur Rosenberg
| Ticker | safety | last | change | change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BA | Boeing | 189.13 | +0.50 | +0.27% |
NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test commander Butch Wilmore, left, and pilot Suni Williams exit the Operations and Checkout Building in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on June 5, 2024. (Joe Raedl/Getty Images/Getty Images)
The final attempt to launch Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft was aborted on Saturday, just four minutes before NASA’s scheduled liftoff. Kennedy Space Center The ground system computer issued an automatic abort command, halting the launch sequence.
The first launch took place on May 6. NASA, Boeing and ULA abandoned the opportunity “due to a suspected issue with an oxygen relief valve in the Centaur second stage of the Atlas V rocket,” they said in an advisory about the launch attempt.
An alligator swims along Turning Basin at dawn near a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket (C) and Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, stationed at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, June 5, 2024. (Greg Newton/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)
For more information on FOX Business, click here
NASA’s partnership with Boeing and SpaceX began after the retirement of the Space Shuttle, which has successfully sent astronauts into space since 2020.
More than 256,000 people watched the launch on NASA’s YouTube livestream alone, and it was also broadcast on other channels and feeds.
Reuters contributed to this report.
