Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft to launch first crewed mission

The first crewed mission for Boeing Co.’s Starliner spacecraft is scheduled to launch Monday night, marking a milestone for the aerospace manufacturer.

Starliner is It is scheduled Weather permitting, the spacecraft is scheduled to launch with two NASA astronauts on board around 10:30 p.m. Monday. The crew flight test marks the first time Boeing Co.’s aerospace effort will carry humans into space after 10 years of development.

Boeing hopes the Starliner will be able to take astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS), a plan that rivals SpaceX’s commercial spacecraft, which has dominated private spaceflight for years.

NASA’s Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore will participate in Monday’s launch and will spend a week on the ISS. The test flight will also see astronauts perform a series of careful maneuvers to enhance the spacecraft’s capabilities.

A successful mission would be a huge success for Boeing, which has consistently trailed SpaceX since both companies were selected for commercial spaceflight in 2014. SpaceX has flown nine manned missions to date, while Boeing has only flown two unmanned flights.

Boeing received more than $4 billion in federal funding for Starliner development, while SpaceX received about $2.6 billion.

Starliner sits atop the iconic Atlas V rocket, and will be the first crewed flight to use an Atlas V since John Glenn’s famous maiden orbit of Mercury in 1962 in 1962. This will be his 100th launch of Atlas. The V system has been used for satellite launches ever since.

The flight to the ISS is expected to last about 26 hours, docking there for eight days before returning to the western United States.The company plans six crewed missions for the platform over the next six years, with the final is the expected end of the operational life of the ISS.