United Launch Alliance Successfully Launches First Crewed Starliner

Credit: United Launch Alliance (ULA)

For the first time in history, a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V carrying NASA astronauts aboard Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner lifted off on June 5, 2024 at 10:52 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex-41 (SLC-41) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. The launch of NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams marks the return of human spaceflight to Cape Canaveral and extends the Atlas legacy, echoing the launch of U.S. astronaut John Glenn aboard a heritage Atlas LV-3B rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, in 1962.

“Safety is a critical part of the ULA decision-making process, and we are deeply honored to have been entrusted with the responsibility of starting the astronauts on their journey to the International Space Station, one that we will watching throughout their mission,” said Gary Wentz, ULA vice president of Government and Commercial Programs. “ULA has performed a tremendous amount of work in conjunction with our partners at Boeing and NASA to ensure our designs provide the highest level of safety to the crew and we will continue to prioritize our dedication to safety as we look forward to future launches in support of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.”

While the mission is continuing, the Atlas V rocket’s job is complete and safely delivered the Starliner and crew to a 98-nautical mile (nmi) sub-orbital trajectory. Following separation from the Atlas V, the Starliner engines ignited to place the crew on their orbital path to the space station.

“My congratulations and sincerest gratitude to our unrivaled team and exceptional partners on the launch of a new era in human spaceflight aboard one of the most reliable rockets in the world,” said Tory Bruno, ULA’s president and CEO. “It’s a profound honor to assist in enabling assured reliability and redundancy of crewed launches.”