Sunita Williams set to fly into space for a third time

If it is successful, it will become the second private firm able to provide crew transport to and from the ISS, alongside Elon Musk’s SpaceX

Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams is ready to fly into space for the third time on Tuesday as the pilot aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft in its the first crewed test flight.

Boeing’s Starliner will blast off for the International Space Station from Cape Canaveral in Florida.

Starliner will carry Williams, 58, and Butch Wilmore to the International Space Station, marking what could be a momentous and long-awaited victory for the beleaguered Boeing programme.

The scheduled lift-off is set for 22:34 local time on Monday (8:04 am IST on Tuesday)

“We are all here because we are all ready. Our friends and family have heard about it and we’ve talked about it and they are happy and proud that we are part of the process to fix it all,” the BBC quoted Williams as saying.

The mission has been delayed for several years because of setbacks in the spacecraft’s development.

If it is successful, it will become the second private firm able to provide crew transport to and from the ISS, alongside Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

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