Starliner set for its historic debut flight on Friday morning

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  In early December, the Starliner spacecraft is mated to its Atlas V rocket. [credit: Trevor Mahlmann ]

Nearly a decade has passed since NASA first awarded funds to Boeing for the design of a crewed spaceflight capsule, and on Friday we should finally see the Starliner vehicle take flight for its first orbital test.

Officials from Boeing, United Launch Alliance, and NASA all said Tuesday that the Starliner capsule and its Atlas V rocket are ready for launch, scheduled for 6:36am ET (11:36 UTC) Friday from Space Launch Complex 41 in Florida. According to meteorologists, there is an 80 percent chance of favorable launch weather.

"When you see an integrated vehicle like this on the pad, it all becomes real," said Kathy Lueders, NASA's manager for the commercial crew program for much of the last decade.

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