Washington, May 6: Indian-origin astronaut Captain Sunita Williams, alongside veteran NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore, is poised to embark on a momentous journey to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard the cutting-edge Boeing Starliner spacecraft. Their mission marks the inaugural crewed test flight of the Starliner, positioning Boeing as the second private company capable of ferrying astronauts to and from the ISS.
Scheduled for liftoff from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, the launch is slated for 10:34 p.m. EDT on Monday, May 6, translating to May 7 at 8:04 a.m. Indian Standard Time.
Boeing’s competitor, SpaceX, successfully conducted its crew flight test in 2020, subsequently undertaking 12 crewed missions to the ISS. Following a setback in December 2019, Starliner triumphantly completed its second uncrewed test flight in May 2022.
Commanding the flight, Williams, a retired US Navy captain aged 59, and Wilmore, will steer the Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission, designed by Boeing, which will rendezvous with the ISS for approximately one week. The journey to the ISS is projected to span approximately 26 hours, with the astronauts spending eight days living and working aboard the station before returning to Earth on May 15.
Throughout the test flight, Williams and Wilmore will subject the Starliner to a battery of evaluations, essential for NASA’s certification of the spacecraft for rotational missions to the ISS under the Commercial Crew Program.
Diverging from conventional practice, wherein US capsules typically splash down in the sea upon reentry, the Starliner will land on terra firma at a location in the western United States, as per NASA’s specifications.
Both astronauts will embark on their journey atop a United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket, bound for the International Space Station.
Williams and Wilmore, both former commanders of the International Space Station, boast illustrious careers in space exploration. Williams, hailing from Needham, Massachusetts, boasts a physical science degree from the US Naval Academy and a master’s in engineering management from the Florida Institute of Technology. She set records during her first spaceflight in 2006-2007, culminating in a total of 322 days spent in space across two missions.
Wilmore, aged 61, has accrued 178 days in space and conducted four spacewalks totaling 25 hours and 36 minutes.
Boeing has mapped out six manned missions for the Starliner over the next six years, aligning with the anticipated lifespan of the ISS.
NASA plans to utilize both SpaceX’s Dragon and Boeing’s Starliner to ferry astronauts to and from the ISS at least every six months from US soil, a mandate designated to both companies in 2014. Boeing received over USD 4 billion in federal funds for Starliner’s development, while SpaceX received approximately USD 2.6 billion.
Simultaneously, India’s own human spaceflight program, Gaganyaan, spearheaded by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), aims to showcase human spaceflight capabilities by launching a crew of three members into orbit for a three-day mission. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently revealed the names of the four Indian Air Force pilots chosen for Gaganyaan, scheduled for launch in 2024-25. These astronauts underwent rigorous training at Russia’s Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.
