Sunita Williams scripts history, becomes first woman to pilot spacecraft on test mission

Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams created history on June 5, as she became the first woman to pilot a new spacecraft on its inaugural crewed test flight to space.

She launched aboard the Boeing’s Starliner capsule with NASA astronaut Barry "Butch" Wilmore, from Florida’s Cape Canaveral.

Dubbed Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT), the mission marks a crucial step in certifying the Starliner for regular crewed flights to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. 

If the mission emerges successful, it will make Starliner the second private spacecraft after SpaceX's Crew Dragon to transport astronauts to and from the orbiting laboratory.

The flight marks another pioneering milestone in William’s trailblazing career who has already been a veteran of two previous space shuttle missions totaling 322 days in orbit.

She previously set records for most spacewalks (7) and spacewalk time (50 hours, 40 minutes) by a woman during her expeditions aboard the ISS in 2006-2007 and 2012.

The Starliner capsule will attempt to dock with the ISS around 26 hours after liftoff, carrying Williams, Wilmore and over 500 pounds of cargo for the orbiting outpost. The two astronauts are scheduled to spend about a week aboard the station, conducting tests and validating Starliner's systems before returning to Earth for a parachute-assisted landing in the western United States.