NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams arrived at Kennedy Space Center ahead of Boeing’s inaugural crewed spaceflight, slated for May 6.

The duo will pilot Boeing’s Starliner capsule, finally embarking on its crewed mission after years of setbacks.

Unlike its previous unmanned test flights, this journey aims to dock at the International Space Station for a week-long evaluation.

Boeing hopes to catch up with SpaceX in ferrying astronauts to space, as the latter has been doing since 2020.

Despite past technical issues, including software glitches and parachute problems, Wilmore emphasized the importance of this test flight in uncovering any potential issues, the Associated Press reported.

NASA remains committed to having multiple options for crew transportation, even as the ISS approaches its planned retirement in 2030.

This mission marks the return of astronauts riding an Atlas rocket since NASA’s Project Mercury.

Written by B.C. Begley