After a nearly month-long delay, NASA and its mission partners say it’s almost time to send two astronauts to the International Space Station for the Boeing Crew Flight Test. The historic launch, which was initially cleared on May 6 and June 1, and was delayed many times in between, it will be the first time humans have flown aboard Boeing’s Starliner. Here’s everything you need to know about the historic Starliner mission that will launch on Wednesday. >> Click here to watch live streams. About the mission: In this mission, two NASA astronauts will travel to the International Space Station in Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which will land atop United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket. Officials say it will take about a week for the astronauts to get there. The purpose of the mission is to test the Starliner spacecraft and its subsystems, including maneuvering and docking, before NASA can certify the spacecraft for orbital missions. When is the departure? The Starliner mission is scheduled to lift off at 10:52 a.m. Wednesday. June 5. Where is the departure? The launch of the Atlas V rocket and the Starliner shuttle will take place from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Who are astronauts? The test flight of the Boeing crew will be the first time humans have traveled aboard the Starliner, which has flown without passengers in the past. Two veteran NASA astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, will be on board . Wilmore will be the mission commander and has been a NASA astronaut since July 2000. He is a veteran of two space flights. Williams will be the mission pilot and has been a NASA astronaut since 1998. .She is a veteran of two space missions. Both astronauts returned home after multiple mission delays, but returned to Central Florida last week for the June 1 launch attempt. As of the last check on Wednesday morning, the two astronauts were in place inside the spacecraft. Both will spend eight days on the International Space Station if all goes as planned. Why was the mission delayed? When the original cleanup was called for on May 6, officials cited the cause as a mechanical issue involving “a self-adjusting liquid oxygen auxiliary solenoid valve in the Centaur upper stage” on the Atlas V rocket. Officials returned the rocket to its facility. of vertical integration at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and successfully replaced the pressure relief valve that prevents the oxygen tank from building up too much pressure. The launch was moved to May 17 to allow for more testing, but was pushed back to May 21 when Boeing said Starliner crews were working to resolve a small helium leak detected in the spacecraft’s service module. The launch was then pushed back to May 25, when officials announced that they once again needed more time to resolve the issue. Ultimately, officials said they would completely advance the May 25 launch attempt. The launch was for a time of indefinitely on hold until officials said they were prepared for a June 1 launch attempt. Last week, mission partners were given the go-ahead to proceed with plans for that launch and put the Atlas V rocket on the pad for the first time since the original cleanup. On Saturday, the countdown was going smoothly when suddenly, officials canceled the launch just minutes before departure. The sudden cleanup was due to the failure of some support equipment on the ground. ULA said its crews worked through the night to identify the problem and were able to replace a faulty power supply system in their ground operations computers. At last check, ULA said the system is now performing normally after a series of functionality checks. Where can I watch the launch in person? There will be multiple viewing locations to experience the launch of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft. Some include:Playalinda BeachSpace Launch Complex 1 Kennedy Space Center Visitor ComplexMax Brewer BridgePort CanaveralKelly ParkCocoa Beach PierTo learn more about all the viewing locations in person, click here.Where can I watch the launch online?WESH 2 will stream the entire launch from wesh .com, our free WESH 2 app and on WESH Facebook. The free WESH 2 app is available on the iTunes App Store for iOS devices and the Google Play Store for Android devices.
After a nearly month-long delay, NASA and its mission partners say it’s almost time to send two astronauts to the International Space Station for the Boeing Crew Flight Test.
The historic launch, which was originally slated for May 6 and June 1 and delayed numerous times in between, will be the first time humans have flown aboard Boeing’s Starliner.
Here’s everything you need to know about the historic Starliner mission that will launch on Wednesday.
>>> Click here to watch live streams.
About the mission:
In this mission, two NASA astronauts will travel to the International Space Station in Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which will land atop United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket.
Officials say it will take about a week for the astronauts to get there.
The purpose of the mission is to test the Starliner spacecraft and its subsystems, including maneuvering and docking, before NASA can certify the spacecraft for orbital missions.
When is the departure?
The Starliner mission is scheduled to lift off at 10:52 a.m. on Wednesday, June 5.
Where is the departure?
The launch of the Atlas V rocket and the Starliner shuttle will take place from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Who are astronauts?
The Boeing Crew Flight Test will be the first time humans have traveled aboard the Starliner, which has flown without passengers in the past.
Two veteran NASA astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, will be on board.
Wilmore will be the mission commander and has been a NASA astronaut since July 2000. He is a veteran of two space flights.
Williams will be the pilot of the mission and has been a NASA astronaut since 1998. She is a veteran of two space missions.
Both astronauts returned home after multiple mission delays, but returned to Central Florida last week for the June 1 launch attempt.
As of the last check on Wednesday morning, the two astronauts were in place inside the spacecraft.
The two will spend eight days on the International Space Station if all goes as planned.
Why was the mission delayed?
When the original cleanup was called for on May 6, officials cited the cause as a mechanical problem involving “a self-adjusting liquid oxygen auxiliary solenoid valve in the Centaur upper stage” on the Atlas V rocket.
Officials returned the rocket back to its vertical integration facility at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and successfully replaced the pressure-regulating valve, which prevents the oxygen tank from building up too much pressure.
The launch was moved to May 17 to allow for more testing, but was pushed back to May 21 when Boeing said Starliner crews were working to resolve a small helium leak discovered in the spacecraft’s service module.
The launch was then pushed back to May 25, when officials announced that they once again needed more time to resolve the matter.
Eventually, officials said they would completely preempt that May 25 launch effort.
The launch was on hold indefinitely until officials said they were prepared for a June 1 launch attempt.
Last week, mission partners were given the go-ahead to proceed with plans for that launch and put the Atlas V rocket on the pad for the first time since the original cleanup.
On Saturday, the countdown was going smoothly when suddenly, officials canceled the launch just minutes before departure. The sudden cleanup was due to the failure of some ground support equipment.
ULA said their crews worked through the night to identify the problem and were able to replace a damaged power supply system in their ground operations computers.
At last check, ULA said the system is now operating normally after a number of functionality checks.
Where can I watch the launch in person?
There will be multiple viewing locations to experience the launch of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft. Some include:
- Playalinda Beach
- Space Launch Complex 1
- Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
- Max Brewer Bridge
- Port Canaveral
- Kelly Park
- Cocoa Beach Pier
To learn more about all private viewing locations, click here.
Where can I watch the launch online?
WESH 2 will stream the entire launch from wesh.com, our free WESH 2 app and on WESH Facebook.
The free WESH 2 app is available on the iTunes App Store for iOS devices and the Google Play Store for Android devices.