the first astronauts transported by the Boeing Starliner spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station

A big step for Boeing. The first two astronauts transported by the American company’s Starliner spacecraft entered the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday June 6. This successful docking represents a crucial step for this mission that has been awaited for years, despite problems that occurred in flight with the capsule’s propulsion system.

As is customary, a bell was rung to welcome the new arrivals. “What a great place, it’s great to be back here”, declared with a smile NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore, this is his third stay in the Space Station (ISS), just like his colleague Suni Williams. This first crewed mission for Starliner represents a major challenge for the aeronautical giant and NASA. It aims to demonstrate that the vehicle is safe to begin regular operations.

Ten years ago, the American space agency ordered two new vehicles from American companies Boeing and SpaceX to transport its astronauts to the ISS. If SpaceX has already been playing this role of space taxi for four years, Boeing’s program has been slow to deliver the expected results.

After taking off from Florida on Wednesday, the spacecraft approached the ISS more than an hour late. Five of these small thrusters, out of 28 in total, failed at some point, NASA explained. But four were eventually put back into operation, providing the number needed for the operation. The ship’s hatch was opened about two hours after docking, allowing the astronauts to be greeted by the seven other people already on board the flying laboratory (NASA astronauts as well as Russian cosmonauts).