US astronauts prep for first crewed flight on Boeing's Starliner

Two US astronauts arrived on Thursday at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, ahead of their launch aboard the Boeing Starliner's first crewed mission next month.

They will blast off on the years-delayed flight on 6thMay for a weeklong stay on the International Space Station. Since 2020, NASA astronauts have traveled to and from the ISS via SpaceX's Dragon craft.The US space agency has long hoped to add a second transportation provider, but Boeing has struggled with a number of delays in developing the Starliner.

The space capsule finally managed to arrive at the ISS in May 2022 without a crew on board. The rocket that will propel the Starliner into space is an Atlas V by the United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin.