Boeing's Starliner crew capsule successfully blasted off on June 5 with two humans on board. The NASA-backed spacecraft is expected to rendezvous with the International Space Station at 16:15 UTC today. Previous launch attempts fared badly and there were many issues during Starliner's development. A video of the launch is available in the article.

NASA has adjusted the date of the Starliner spacecraft's return to Earth to an unspecified time in July. The spacecraft was originally due to undock and return to Earth on June 14, but return opportunities have been waved off as more time is needed to review the data from the vehicle's problematic flight to the International Space Station. There were five separate leaks in the helium system that pressurizes Starliner's propulsion system and five of the vehicle's 28 reaction-control system thrusters failed as Starliner approached the station. NASA has not specified why it is not yet comfortable with releasing Starliner to fly back to Earth.

NASA made the announcement that Boeing's Starliner would return uncrewed on August 24. Starliner is now scheduled to undock this Friday, with another window four days later if conditions are unfavorable. The decision took many weeks to make. While Boeing believed Starliner was capable of bringing back its crew, NASA was not comfortable with the idea due to uncertainty in the modeling. The astronauts will return home on a SpaceX Dragon vehicle in late February 2025 at the earliest.