Sunita Williams excited for first-ever human launch of Boeing Starliner

Boeing Starliner's debut crew, Sunita Williams and Barry Butch Wilmore are super excited for their liftoff.

While talking to the reporters on Wednesday (May 1), the astronauts said that their test pilot experience with the US Navy will help them assess the spacecraft during its debut crewed launch.

The liftoff is set for Monday (May 6) at 10:34 p.m. EDT (0234 GMT May 7), and the event will be live-streamed via NASA Television.

Wilmore and Williams, both ex-Navy test pilots, aim to dock at the space station on May 8th. If their mission goes well, they'll return to Earth around May 15.

"It almost feels unreal," said Williams, who will be the mission pilot. The discussion was conducted remotely because both Williams and Wilmore are currently quarantining for the impending journey.

Notably, its historic liftoff will mount both the astronauts atop the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket — another first for humans.

Sunita Williams is going to the International Space Station after 12 years. Williams boasts a seasoned career with two previous space missions under her belt — Expeditions 14/15 and 32/33.

About theStarliner mission

A successful mission paves the way for regular Starliner crew rotations starting in 2025, with launches alternating between Boeing's Starliner and SpaceX's Crew Dragon. This would provide NASA with a robust two-company system for ferrying astronauts to the station.

Since the beginning, NASA's plan was to have both SpaceX and Boeing operational. This means their Crew Dragon and Starliner capsules would act as backups for each other. In case of technical problems or delays with one spacecraft, astronauts could still launch on the other. This two-capsule system provides redundancy and ensures a more reliable path to space for NASA's crews.

NASA at first did not envision that SpaceX’s Crew Dragon would function on its own for nearly four years before Boeing’s Starliner reached its first crewed test flight.

Earlier in 2014, when NASA awarded contracts to SpaceX and Boeing, the space agency initially leaned towards Boeing as it has been a trusted partner since the mid-20th century. However, SpaceX on the other hand, was a young and ambitious company, seen by some at NASA as a bit of a gamble.

(With inputs from agencies)