How to watch Boeing’s 1st Starliner astronaut launch webcasts live online (Image Credit: Space.com)
Boeing’s Starliner capsule is scheduled to launch astronauts for the first time ever on May 6.
Space fans will be glued to their screens for the historic liftoff, which will send NASA’s Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams toward the International Space Station (ISS) atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket.
But there will be other events to take in, both in the leadup to launch and in its aftermath. Here’s a guide to the upcoming webcasts that will highlight the Starliner mission, which is known as Crew Flight Test (CFT). You’ll be able to watch all of them here at Space.com, courtesy of NASA.
Related: Facts about Starliner, Boeing’s next-generation spaceship for astronauts
Wednesday, May 1: Astronaut press conference
The action starts on Wednesday (May 1) at 1:30 p.m. EDT (1730 GMT), when NASA will hold a press conference with Wilmore and Williams.
The event will take place at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida, which is next door to CFT’s launch site, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Friday, May 3: Prelaunch news conference
Next up is the prelaunch news conference, which will also be held at KSC. This event is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. EDT (1630 GMT) on Friday (May 3), though that time is tentative; the briefing will take place no earlier than one hour after the completion of CFT’s launch readiness review.
This will be an in-depth presser, with words from a variety of high-ranking folks. The expected participants are:
- NASA Administrator Bill Nelson
- Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
- Dana Weigel, manager of NASA’s International Space Station Program
- Emily Nelson, chief flight director at NASA
- Jennifer Buchli, chief scientist, NASA’s International Space Station Program
- Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Commercial Crew Program, Boeing
- Gary Wentz, vice president, Government and Commercial Programs, ULA
- Brian Cizek, launch weather officer, 45th Weather Squadron, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
At 3:30 p.m. EDT (1730 GMT) on Friday, the agency will webcast a “NASA Social” event from KSC. The following panelists will answer questions submitted via social media:
- Ian Kappes, deputy launch vehicle office manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
- Amy Comeau Denker, Starliner associate chief engineer, Boeing
- Caleb Weiss, system engineering and test leader, ULA
- Jennifer Buchli, chief scientist, NASA’s International Space Station Program
Monday, May 6: Launch day!
Launch day! CFT is scheduled to lift off on Monday at 10:34 p.m. EDT (0234 GMT on May 7), but the livestream action starts far earlier — at 6:30 p.m. EDT (2230 GMT).
The NASA livestream coverage will continue long past launch, all the way through Starliner’s docking with the ISS and beyond. The following events are of particular interest (but note that the given times are tentative and could change):
Tuesday, May 7: Post-launch press conference
A post-launch press conference is expected to start on Tuesday (May 7) at midnight EDT (0400 GMT), with the following participants:
- NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy
- Ken Bowersox, associate administrator, NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate
- Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
- Dana Weigel, manager, NASA’s International Space Station Program
- Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Commercial Crew Program, Boeing
- Gary Wentz, vice president, Government and Commercial Programs, ULA
Wednesday, May 8: Docking day at the ISS
May 8 is CFT docking day. Starliner is expected to arrive at the ISS at 12:48 a.m. EDT (0648 GMT). The hatches between the two craft will open around 2:35 a.m. EDT (0635 GMT), and astronauts aboard the orbiting lab will deliver welcome remarks at about 3:15 a.m. EDT (0715 GMT).
Then, at 4:15 a.m. EDT (0815 GMT), NASA will host a post-docking news conference at Johnson Space Center in Houston, with the following participants:
- NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free
- Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
- Dana Weigel, manager, NASA’s International Space Station Program
- Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Commercial Crew Program, Boeing
Starliner will spend about 10 days docked to the ISS before coming back home to Earth. There will doubtless be further coverage of the CFT mission beyond these launch- and arrival-oriented events, so stay tuned!
