Ready for takeoff! The Starliner is set for its first mission to the ISS

Since 2011, any American astronaut looking to get to or from the International Space Station (ISS) had to lift off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, a spaceport operated by Russia within Kazakhstan.

It was the only way to get up into space - for now.

It's why almost a decade ago private sector companies Boeing and SpaceX were engaged by NASA to develop a new way to get to the ISS from American soil.  All of that is about to change, and all eyes have been on Boeing's Starliner as it readies to take flight with a crew for the first time.

Florida's Tech's Don Platt , the Director of the Spaceport Education Center, has also been busy as the media coverage has been intense.

“In this case, NASA is truly buying a service and it’s up to the company to get it all right. With just some oversight," said Don Platt, of Florida Tech.

Starliner rolled out to Launch Complex 41 in the early morning on Tuesday.

It will be positioned atop a ULA Atlas 5 rocket for the planned liftoff on May 6 from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

As Platt explained, Starliner is a critical second option for NASA.

“With all the success of SpaceX has had recently, we can’t simply rely on SpaceX to provide all services to the American space program," Platt said.

This is the first flight of Starliner with a crew onboard so it’ll be the first time for it to fly in this configuration.

During these test missions, there are always lessons to be learned.

“We are all aware of some of the issues the Boeing company has experienced in the last couple of years. And to have a successful test flight here with astronauts onboard is a definite plus from PR aspect,” Platt said.

Two seasoned NASA astronauts will be the first to take a ride in Starliner up to the ISS; Suni Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore.

They’ll be up there for eight days on this test mission and if all goes well, the first Starliner mission on NASA crew rotation up to the ISS will come next spring.

-- April 16 - NBC News

Getting to the ISS, Moon and even Mars are getting a lot of attention lately. If you're a journalist look to cover the topic, let us help.

Dr. Don Platt's work has involved developing, testing and flying different types of avionics, communications, rocket propulsion systems as well as astrobiology/biotechnology systems and human deep space exploration tools.

Don is available to speak with media anytime. Simply click on the icon below to arrange an interview today.