Boeing launches first crewed Starliner spacecraft

 Today's launch means a lot to Boeing

Boeing spacecraft carrying two NASA astronauts: is on its historic maiden voyage. The landmark launch kicked off the first crewed test flight of the capsule and marked the culmination of a long and trying development process.

The astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, are expected to spend one day in orbit before docking with the International Space Station.

The mission comes after years of development and costly setbacks for Boeing’s Starliner, which aims to compete with SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft.

Boeing official: We don't want to compete with SpaceX.

Starliner is carrying a crucial replacement pump: 

that helps convert urine on the space station into drinkable water.

NASA official: The space station's urine pump change will happen soon
The pump failed last week, and since then, urine has been stored in bags on the space station while the crew awaits the replacement pump.

NASA officials praised the teams and efforts to get the Boeing Starliner into orbit during a post-launch news conference on Wednesday.

 Ken Bowersox  (associate administrator, NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate) said : We've worked a few issues over the past few weeks. I know it's really easy to lose patience as you're waiting for launches to happen. 

But as I've said before, good things are worth waiting for and I hope you agree with me that today's launch was definitely worth waiting for.

He said that it was "beautiful" to see smiles on astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams faces before liftoff and hear their voices when they were safely in orbit.

The crew has a lot of test flight objectives. We need to get them to station. We have sa lot to work until return.  And there are a lot of different things the program will be working through as they go through each of those phases," he said.

Read More About B. WIlmor and Sunita Williams Health status in ISS Space Station.