Boeing's Starliner capsule launched on first crewed space flight after several delays

Boeing’s new Starliner astronaut capsule was launched from Florida on Wednesday in a first test flight carrying a crew, after several delays caused by last-minute technical problems.

The CST-100 Starliner, with two astronauts aboard, lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, strapped to an Atlas V rocket furnished and flown by the Boeing-Lockheed Martin joint venture United Launch Alliance (ULA).

The inaugural crew for the seven-seat Starliner includes two veteran NASA astronauts – Barry “Butch” Wilmore, a retired U.S. Navy captain and fighter pilot, and Sunita “Suni” Williams, a former Navy helicopter test pilot with experience in flying more than 30 different aircraft.

Here’s a rundown of key events in Starliner’s journey to space over the past few years:

Sept. 4, 2015 – Boeing takes the wraps off an assembly plant for its first line of commercial spaceships, which NASA plans to use to fly crews to the ISS.

Nov. 4, 2019 – Boeing says one of three parachutes failed to open during a crucial unmanned test of the Starliner.

Dec. 20, 2019 – Boeing successfully launches its new astronaut capsule on an uncrewed debut journey to the ISS.

Dec. 22, 2019 – The spacecraft makes a “bullseye” landing in the New Mexico desert.

Jan. 7, 2020 – NASA and Boeing investigate a software glitch that prevented the unmanned capsule from reaching the ISS in its Dec. 2019 flight.

Feb. 6, 2020 – The NASA review panel says Boeing narrowly missed a “catastrophic failure” during its December flight test.

Aug. 25, 2020 – The first Starliner crewed mission is tentatively slated for 2021, with Boeing aiming to complete software and test hardware production development.

Oct. 7, 2020 – The chief astronaut for Starliner’s crewed flight to the ISS, Chris Ferguson, steps down from the job, citing family priorities. He is replaced by Wilmore.

July 29, 2021 – A space station mishap prompts NASA to postpone the launch of the Starliner.

Aug. 3, 2021 – Boeing postpones Starliner launch after new glitch.

Aug. 13, 2021 – Boeing returns the spacecraft to the factory to resolve a valve issue, delaying the launch date until at least mid-October if not later.

May 19, 2022 – The Starliner capsule launches on a do-over uncrewed test flight bound for the ISS.

May 20, 2022 – The Starliner capsule, without astronauts onboard, docked for the first time with the ISS.

Aug 25, 2022 – Boeing announces it is targeting early 2023 for the first Starliner mission carrying astronauts.

June 1, 2023 – Boeing says it is standing down from late preparations for its first crewed Starliner test flight to space, which was planned for July 2023, after it discovered two safety-critical issues with the spacecraft.

May 3, 2024 – Boeing poised to send the first Starliner space capsule with a crew of humans into orbit the following week, after a year’s delay.

May 6, 2024 – The first crewed test flight of the new Starliner space capsule was postponed after the planned May 6 launch countdown was halted over a fault with the Atlas V rocket.

May 7, 2024 – NASA says new targeted launch date for the mission was set to May 17 at the earliest.

May 14, 2024 – Boeing says the Starliner mission had been delayed again – until at least May 21 – over an issue with the spacecraft’s propulsion system.

May 17, 2024 – NASA and Boeing delayed the launch of the Starliner crew capsule again to check helium leak, targeting May 25.

May 21, 2024 – NASA again delayed the debut crew flight to spend more time evaluating the helium leak in the spacecraft’s propulsion system.

May 22, 2024 – NASA and Boeing target June 1 for the launch.

June 1, 2024 – A second attempt at launching the Starliner with astronauts on board was automatically halted with minutes to go before liftoff by a computer-abort system.

June 2, 2024 – Boeing and NASA target June 5 for the launch.

June 5, 2024 – The Starliner astronaut capsule was successfully launched from Florida with two astronauts aboard, with docking with the ISS scheduled for June 6.

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