Sunita Williams Set to Pilot Boeing Starliner Spacecraft

April 27, 2024

Sunita Williams, a veteran Indian American astronaut, is preparing for her third space mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). She will be piloting Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on its inaugural crewed flight, known as the Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission, scheduled for launch on May 6, 2024.

Mission Details

Launch date: May 6, 2024, at 10:34 PM EDT
Launch vehicle: United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket
Launch site: Space Launch Complex-41, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
Crew: Sunita Williams (pilot) and Barry “Butch” Wilmore (commander)
Mission duration: Approximately 9 days (docking at ISS on May 8, return to Earth around May 15)

Significance

First crewed flight for Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
Test of end-to-end capabilities of the Starliner system, including launch, docking, and return to Earth
Marks a major milestone in providing NASA with a reliable, redundant system for ferrying astronauts to the ISS
Successful mission paves the way for regular Starliner crew rotations starting in 2025, alternating with SpaceX’s Crew Dragon

Sunita Williams’ Spaceflights Experience and Rewards

Expedition 14/15 (December 9, 2006 – June 22, 2007): Launched with STS-116 crew, served as Flight Engineer, set female record with four spacewalks totaling 29 hours and 17 minutes
Expedition 32/33 (July 14 – November 18, 2012): Launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome, spent four months conducting research on ISS, held record for total cumulative spacewalk time (50 hours and 40 minutes)
Recipient of the Defense Superior Service Medal (twice), Legion of Merit, Navy Commendation Medal (twice), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and Humanitarian Service Medal, among others
Inducted into the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2022

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program

Established in 2010 to develop private spacecraft capable of carrying astronauts to and from the ISS
Contracts awarded to SpaceX ($2.6 billion) and Boeing ($4.2 billion) in 2014
Aims to end U.S. reliance on Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft and resume launching American astronauts from U.S. soil
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon has been operational since May 2020, carrying 50 astronauts, cosmonauts, and civilians to orbit in 12 missions

With Sunita Williams at the helm, the Starliner spacecraft is poised to become a vital component in maintaining a continuous human presence on the International Space Station.

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