First Boeing Starliner crewed launch lifts off with 2 astronauts

The Boeing Starliner spacecraft launched Wednesday from Cape Canaveral, Fla., carrying two NASA astronauts after several delays in recent weeks due to technical issues. 

The first crewed Starliner flight lifted off at 10:52 a.m. from Florida with flight commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams on board.  

The spacecraft entered “stable orbit,” Boeing Space said in a post on the social platform X about 30 minutes after liftoff.  

The test flight, which is heading to the International Space Station, represents the final hurdle for Boeing to begin regularly ferrying astronauts to and from the space station — an effort years in the making. 

The Starliner was initially supposed to launch in early May. However, the original flight was scrubbed due to a valve problem.  

The next attempted launch in mid-May was canceled over a propellant leak, while another was scrubbed minutes before takeoff Saturday due to a computer issue. 

The successful Starliner launch Wednesday marks a rare win for Boeing, which has faced heavy scrutiny in recent months over the safety of its planes after a Boeing 737 Max suffered a mid-air blowout.