Countdown to Wednesday’s crewed launch of Boeing’s Starliner space capsule underway

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams awaiting Wednesday morning's planned launch of Starliner's first crewed mission. Still Image: NASA/YouTube

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida, June 5, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — After being forced to scrub previous liftoff attempts NASA reports the countdown to Wednesday’s scheduled launch of the Boeing Starliner’s first crewed mission is underway.

According to NASA, all systems are go, after astronauts Butch Wilmore, 61, and Suni Williams, 58, were strapped into the capsule, awaiting launch of a historic week-long test flight to the International Space Station.

Blast off from Launch Complex 41 at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is scheduled for 10:52 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, or 8:52 a.m. Mountain Daylight Time, in Salt Lake City.

The Starliner crew has endured two scrubbed launches to date; the first was May 6, when NASA put the mission to certify Starliner for manned missions on hold two hours before the flight due to concerns about an oxygen relief valve; the second, was last Saturday, June 1, when the launch was called off due to a “failed power distribution source,” NASA said.

Wilmore and Williams continued preparations for the mission while remaining in quarantined at adjacent Kennedy Space Center.

To follow the final system checks, and to watch the launch, live, click on the video feed below.

NASA’s Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test Launch – June 5, 2024 (Official NASA Broadcast)

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