CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying Boeing’s Starliner capsule lifted off Thursday evening from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center, according to WFTV. The spacecraft, which has a dummy but no people on board, is on a test flight to the International Space Station, where it is expected to dock shortly after 7 p.m. EDT Friday, NASA said.
The launch came more than two years after software errors thwarted the capsule’s first test flight in December 2019, The Associated Press reported. Corroded valves stopped a second launch attempt last summer, according to the news agency.
Skygazers took to social media to share photos of the launch with the hashtag #Starliner. Here are some of our favorites:
1. @mdcainjr, Instagram
2. @Kyle_M_Photo, Twitter
3. @GregScott_photo, Twitter
4. @earth.to.emerson, Instagram
5. @Zshauladventure, Twitter
6. @theresacross_, Twitter
7. @_mgde_, Twitter
8. @the_space_nut, Twitter
9. @NASAHQphoto, Twitter
10. @launchphoto, Instagram
– The Associated Press contributed to this report.