Boeing is set to launch NASA astronauts for the first time after years of struggle

By MARCIA DUNN
AP Aerospace Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Boeing is counting down for its first astronaut launch after years of struggle. Two NASA test pilots will climb aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule at Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Monday night. They’ll head to the International Space Station for a weeklong stay before returning to Earth. Starliner’s first test flight without a crew in 2019 failed to reach the space station and Boeing had to repeat the flight. Then the company had to fix the capsule’s parachutes and yank out flammable tape. NASA wants more than one company transporting its astronauts to the space station. SpaceX has been at it since 2020.