Watch Boeing Starliner launch live: NASA's Barry Wilmore, a Tennessee native, heads to ISS

Joyce Orlando, Nashville Tennessean
·2 min read

It is almost time for launch of Boeing's Starliner with two NASA astronauts on board. And one just happens to be a Tennessee native.

Barry "Butch" Wilmore, a Mt. Juliet High School and Tennessee Tech graduate, will be in the cockpit along with Sunita "Suni" Williams, for the CST-100 Starliner test mission Monday night in Florida. Wilmore and Williams will be the first crew on board for a Starliner orbital flight test.

'Tennessean at Heart': Before leading major space travel mission on Starliner, NASA astronaut was a Tennessee Vol

The two experienced astronauts are part of a high stakes demonstration, this is the final one before the spacecraft can be approved for routine trips to orbit.

Here's a bit more about Starliner and how you can watch the launch.

What is Boeing's Starliner purpose?

Boeing's Starliner is intended to be a vehicle to ferry astronauts to and from the space station. The Starliner's design is meant to accommodate no more than seven passengers for low-Earth orbit missions. NASA intends for the capsule to carry only four astronauts along with a mix of cargo and other scientific instruments to and from the International Space Station.

This launch is one of several that NASA has had after partnering with private industry to help continue programs for space travel and exploration.

Boeing launched its first crewed mission in 2020, but is behind competitors like Elon Musk's SpaceX program, according to Reuters.

How to watch the Boeing Starliner launch with NASA

Boeing and NASA are on target for a planned 10:34 p.m. ET/9:34 p.m. CT launch on Monday for Starliner from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The capsule will fly to space on top of an Atlas V rocket.

You can watch the live coverage from NASA beginning at 5:30 p.m. CT on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, the agency's YouTube page and its website. A postlaunch news conference is also planned.

Watch the Boeing Starliner live

Watch the livestream of the Boeing Starliner launch below:

Who are the NASA astronauts on Boeing's Starliner?

Both Williams and Wilmore are experienced pilots with the Navy and have flown in space twice, according to Florida Today, a USA TODAY Network publication. Here's a bit of background on the two.

  • Williams, 58, is a former Naval test pilot with experience flying over 30 different aircraft. Selected as an astronaut in 1998, she has has logged 322 days in space over two missions since her first flight in 2007.

  • Wilmore, 61, is a retired Navy captain who completed 21 combat missions during Operation Desert Storm before joining NASA in 200. Since then, he has logged 178 days in space after his first trip to orbit in 2009.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Starliner launch livestream: How to watch NASA Boeing launch today