Boeing is on the verge of launching astronauts to ISS - Times of India

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CAPE CANAVERAL

(US): After years of delays and stumbles,

Boeing

is finally poised to launch

astronauts

to the International Space Station for Nasa. It's the first flight of Boeing's Starliner capsule with a crew on board, a pair of

Nasa

pilots who will check out the spacecraft during the test drive and a weeklong stay at the space station. Nasa turned to US companies for astronaut rides after its space shuttles were retired.

Boeing has managed only a pair of unoccupied test flights so far, and its long-awaited astronaut demo is slated for liftoff Monday night. Provided this tryout goes well, Nasa will alternate between Boeing and SpaceX to get astronauts to and from the space station.