Houston. NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams successfully docked Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS), about 26 hours after launching from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The astronauts monitored Starliner as it autonomously conducted a series of manoeuvres to steadily bring the spacecraft closer to the orbiting laboratory before docking.
On the way to the ISS, the crew completed a series of tests, including manually flying Starliner for the first time in space. The two astronauts, who are joining seven others currently living on the station, will continue checking out Starliner’s systems, unload and load cargo from the spacecraft, and conduct scientific experiments while in space.
“It is both amazing and humbling to join the fleet of commercial spacecraft capable of conducting crewed transportation services to and from the space station for NASA. Our teams have done some great work to get us to this point,” said Kay Sears, vice president and general manager of Space, Intelligence & Weapon Systems.
After spending a week on orbit, Wilmore and Williams will board Starliner and return home. They will also transport about 760 pounds (345 kilograms) of cargo.
