Wilmore and Williams are well suited to take the Starliner for its first piloted test drive. Both are former Navy test pilots and two of NASA's most seasoned astronauts with four space flights, 11 spacewalks and 500 days in orbit between them. Both have flown to space aboard the space shuttle and Russia's Soyuz crew ferry ship.

Boeing’s spaceflight program may reach a milestone Monday evening with the launch of its Starliner spacecraft, carrying — at long last — two NASA astronauts to orbit.

Two NASA astronauts waited several extra years for their ride aboard Boeing Starliner, but the wait was not fully unexpected, the former test pilots recently shared with reporters.

Boeing Co.’s Starliner spacecraft is set to make its first crewed flight to the International Space Station on Monday, carrying two NASA astronauts to the orbiting space lab.

The long-awaited Starliner mission is on track to carry two NASA astronauts — Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore — to the International Space Station.

For Boeing, a successful flight might represent a turning point for the spaceflight program and the company as a whole.