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First Time Boeing All Set To Send Astronauts in Space. India Origin Sunita Williams To Lead The Mission

  • By Thetripurapost Web Desk, California
  • May 05, 2024
  • 93

Two experienced NASA astronauts of Indian origin, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, are all set to go to space aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft. 

It will be the first manned spacecraft to be launched on Monday.

According to NASA, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket and Boeing Starliner spacecraft will be launched on Monday (May 6) at 10:34 p.m. 

(EDT) from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Both will be atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket during this historic launch. Starliner has several experiments scheduled for next week, including a quick visit to the International Space Station (ISS).

Wilmore, 61, and Williams, 58, will visit the space station for about a week to test the Starliner spacecraft and its subsystems before returning to NASA's transportation system for rotational missions to the Orbiting Laboratory for the agency's Commercial Crew Program. 

The two said they would be able to evaluate the spacecraft during the first crewed launch because of their experience as test pilots in the U.S.  

Starliner is scheduled to dock on Wednesday (May 8) at the forward port of the station's Harmony module.

Sunita Williams, who will pilot the mission, spoke to media personnel during a press conference from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. 

“It almost seems unreal,” she said, adding, “When this spacecraft flies, we feel very safe and very comfortable.” This is where we need to be." Williams' enthusiasm is the result of nearly ten years of standing in line for a spot in commercial crew flight. 

In 2015, she was appointed to NASA's inaugural program because of her experience in spacecraft development. Later in 2022, they were assigned to the Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission.