NASA says Starliner astronauts Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore 'in good health' on ISS

Astronauts arrive at ISS on Boeing's Starliner

NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday, May 26, 2023, aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft. The CST-100 Starliner, named Calypso, lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Wednesday, May 25, at 11:54 am EDT (15:54 UTC) atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

The Starliner docked with the ISS at 2:06 pm EDT (18:06 UTC) on Thursday after a 25-hour flight. Williams and Wilmore were welcomed aboard the ISS by Expedition 68 crew members Josh Cassada, Nicole Mann, Frank Rubio, Koichi Wakata, Anna Kikina, and Andrei Fedyaev.

Starliner's first crewed mission

The Starliner's mission, known as Starliner-1, is the first crewed flight of the spacecraft. The mission is a major milestone for Boeing, which has been developing the Starliner for more than a decade.

The Starliner is designed to carry up to four astronauts to and from the ISS. The spacecraft can also be used to transport cargo to the ISS.

The Starliner-1 mission is a test flight to demonstrate the spacecraft's ability to safely carry astronauts to and from the ISS. The mission is also a key step in Boeing's plans to resume regular crewed flights to the ISS.