NASA Astronauts Safely Dock at ISS Aboard Boeing's Starliner: Historic Milestone in Commercial Crew Program

Cape Canaveral, Florida United States of America
Boeing Starliner's arrival at the ISS follows SpaceX's Starship mission milestones earlier in the week.
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams safely docked at the International Space Station (ISS) aboard Boeing's Starliner on June 10, 2023.
The event marked a significant milestone in NASA's Commercial Crew Program.
They encountered mid-flight malfunctions including helium leaks and malfunctioning control thrusters, but reached their destination with NASA's support.
Williams and Wilmore launched on June 5 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test mission.
NASA Astronauts Safely Dock at ISS Aboard Boeing's Starliner: Historic Milestone in Commercial Crew Program

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams made history on June 10, 2023, as they safely docked at the International Space Station (ISS) aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft. The event marked a significant milestone in NASA's Commercial Crew Program, which aims to deliver safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the ISS from American private industry.

The astronauts participated in two Earth-to-space calls on Monday, June 10. The first call was with NASA leaders at 1 p.m. EDT, including Administrator Bill Nelson, Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, Associate Administrator Jim Free, and Johnson Space Center Director Vanessa Wyche. Coverage of the call streamed live on NASA TV and the agency's website.

The second call was with White House officials at 2:40 p.m., moderated by Chirag Parikh, deputy assistant to President Joe Biden and executive secretary for the White House National Space Council. Coverage of this call also streamed live on NASA TV and the agency's website.

Williams and Wilmore launched at 10:52 a.m. on June 5 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test mission. They docked to the orbiting laboratory at 1:34 p.m., June 6, and will remain for a week-long stay, testing Starliner and its subsystems as part of the spacecraft's certification for rotational missions.

The Commercial Crew Program is an essential step in NASA's goal of safe space exploration, including future missions to the Moon under Artemis and ultimately, to Mars. For more information about the mission, visit www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew.

Despite encountering mid-flight malfunctions during their journey to the ISS, including helium leaks and malfunctioning control thrusters, Williams and Wilmore successfully reached their destination with NASA's support.

Boeing Starliner's arrival at the ISS follows SpaceX's Starship mission milestones earlier in the week. Both missions represent significant advancements in space travel technology.



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  • Unique Points
    • Boeing Starliner reached the International Space Station on Thursday after overcoming mid-flight malfunctions.
    • Williams is the first woman to take to the stars in such a mission, having spent 322 days in space which is a record no one but Peggy Whitson could beat.
    • There were helium leaks throughout the flight, including one pre-launch and three discovered after the capsule was already in orbit.
    • Five of Starliner’s 28 control thrusters were dead, making it too dangerous to dock initially.
    • The astronauts switched the capsule’s thrusters over to manual control and unleashed a surge of celestial power through the capsule with a hot-fire test that kick-started four of the dead jets back to life.
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  • Unique Points
    • Boeing signed a $4.2 billion contract with NASA in 2014 to develop Starliner under the Commercial Crew Program.
    • NASA also selected SpaceX for the job, giving Elon Musk’s company $2.6 billion.
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    The author makes several statements that are factual and do not contain any fallacies. However, there is one instance of an appeal to authority when the author quotes Caleb Henry's opinion on NASA's approach to the Commercial Crew Program. This does not significantly impact the overall score as it only accounts for a small portion of the article.
    • "There was some reticence in Congress towards this type of approach," he said. "It was only because Boeing threw its hat in the ring that Congress and by extension, NASA, were confident enough to actually go forward with this program."
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  • Unique Points
    • NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams safely arrived at the International Space Station on June 6, 2023.
    • They will participate in two Earth to space calls: one with NASA leaders at 1 p.m. EDT and another with White House officials at 2:40 p.m.
    • The Commercial Crew Program is delivering safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station from the United States through a partnership with American private industry.
    • NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is a key step in certifying Starliner for rotational missions as part of the agency’s goal of safe space exploration including future missions to the Moon under Artemis and ultimately, to Mars.
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    • The giant snake motifs found in ancient rock engravings across Venezuela and Colombia are believed to be among the largest ever discovered and may have served as boundary markers of territories that the engravers inhabited.
    • A family hike in North Dakota’s Badlands led to the discovery of a rare dinosaur leg, which is believed to belong to a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex. The fossil will be exhibited at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science starting June 21.
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  • Unique Points
    • Boeing's Starliner spacecraft and two NASA astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, successfully docked at the International Space Station on Thursday afternoon.
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