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Journalism of Courage
A video shared on Instagram captures Sunita Williams and her colleague preparing to leave for the International Space Station (ISS) aboard Boeing’s Starliner after multiple delays. Williams, 58, serves as the pilot for the flight test and Butch Wilmore, 61, is the mission commander.
“Indian-Origin #NASA astronaut #SunitaWilliams created history by becoming the first woman to fly on the maiden mission of a new human-rated spacecraft,” says the caption of the video shared by @airnewsalerts as it highlights Williams’ historic achievement.
As defined by Nasa, ‘human-rated’ means the spacecraft is equipped with the necessary design features, operational procedures, and requirements to accommodate human participants. It underscores the spacecraft’s capability to support human presence in space.
Within two hours, the video showcasing the crew’s final preparations before liftoff garnered over 1,000 likes.
During the journey, they will complete several flight test objectives, including manually flying the Starliner. The spacecraft is also carrying about 760 pounds (345 kilograms) of cargo.
Watch the video here:
Once docked at the ISS, Wilmore and Williams will spend approximately a week there before returning to Earth. Following a successful CFT, Boeing and Nasa will proceed with certifying Starliner for long-duration operational missions to the ISS.
The initial launch attempt on May 6 was postponed for leak checks and rocket repairs. With this successful mission, Boeing becomes the second private company, alongside Elon Musk’s SpaceX, to provide crew transport to and from the ISS.
