Why Boeing’s Starliner launch is an important milestone for commercial spaceflight

But the mission’s troubled history also shows just how difficult the path to space can be, even for an experienced company like Boeing.

If all goes well late on May 6, 2024, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will blast off into space on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. Launching from the Kennedy Space Center, this last crucial test for Starliner will test out the new spacecraft and take the pair to the International Space Station for about a week.