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Sunita Williams, as part of two member NASA astronauts’ team, is set to make history as the first member aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station.
NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT) is an exciting mission that will transport astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. The launch is scheduled to take place from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This mission marks the first crewed flight of the Starliner spacecraft, and it’s a significant milestone for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
As part of the final flight test for Starliner, NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test will validate the transportation system, including the launch pad, rocket, spacecraft, in-orbit operational capabilities, and return to Earth with astronauts aboard. The NASA astronauts will stay for about one week aboard the space station. The Starliner and crew will land under parachutes and an airbag-assisted landing in the western United States.
Sunita Williams will be the pilot for the flight test. Williams has spent 322 days in space across two missions namely Expedition 14/15 in 2006 through 2007, and Expedition 32/33 in 2012. The Massachusetts native has also conducted seven spacewalks, totaling 50 hours and 40 minutes.
Before joining NASA in 1998, Williams graduated with her bachelor’s degree in Physical Science from the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, before obtaining her master’s degree in Engineering Management from the Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne. In total, she has logged more than 3,000 flight hours in over 30 different aircraft.
