Boeing Starliner’s astronaut crew welcomed aboard space station

The two NASA astronauts on the Boeing Starliner spacecraft were welcomed aboard the International Space Station (ISS) Thursday, June 6. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will spend two weeks on the space station. The Starliner docked after successfully completing a key test flight for Boeing — despite issues with the spacecraft’s thrusters. 

The hatch between the capsule and the space station was opened roughly two hours after docking, letting the two NASA astronauts join the other crew members on the ISS. 

“Nice to be attached to the big city in the sky,” Wilmore told mission controllers on the ground. “I’m not sure we could have gotten a better welcome. What a wonderful place to be. It’s great to be back here.”

“We’re just happy as can be to be up in space,” Williams said.

The Boeing Starliner, launched from Cape Canaveral on an Atlas V rocket, on its inaugural crewed test flight to the ISS. This mission aims to demonstrate the Starliner’s capability to safely transport NASA astronauts.

In the future, NASA could authorize Boeing to conduct regular flights to the ISS, providing an additional option for crewed space missions.