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This is an artist’s depiction of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner approaching or docking with the International Space Station (ISS), not a photograph of the spacecraft during the mission. The real crewed docking took place on June 6, 2024, carrying NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.
What the image depicts
The scene represents Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner at the International Space Station. Boeing’s image catalog includes visuals titled “Starliner Docking to ISS View” and “Starliner Docking at ISS,” but those titles alone do not establish that a particular artwork is one of those catalog files. The catalog identifies those entries as Boeing photos; verify the supplied asset record before assigning an artist, date, or copyright credit. Boeing MediaRoom’s Starliner visual assets provides the catalog context.
The real Starliner docking
Boeing reported that Starliner docked with the ISS at 1:34 p.m. Eastern time on June 6, 2024, with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams aboard. It was the first arrival at the station with crew aboard. This was the Crew Flight Test, a demonstration mission rather than evidence by itself of completed operational certification. Boeing’s mission update records the docking event.
How the mission changed after docking
NASA initially planned the Crew Flight Test for 8–14 days. Propulsion anomalies extended the mission to 93 days on orbit, according to NASA’s Commercial Crew Program overview. On August 24, 2024, NASA said Starliner would return to Earth without its astronauts because uncertainty and lack of expert concurrence did not satisfy the agency’s safety and performance requirements for human spaceflight. Wilmore and Williams were instead assigned to return on SpaceX Crew-9. NASA’s announcement explains that decision.
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NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in that announcement: “Spaceflight is risky, even at its safest and most routine. A test flight, by nature, is neither safe, nor routine.” His statement addressed the test-flight risk, not the illustration.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the available status information establishes
NASA’s current Commercial Crew Program overview says the agency released an investigation report with 61 corrective recommendations for future crewed Starliner missions and describes continued progress toward Starliner’s crew-carrying capability. That wording does not establish that Starliner has completed certification or provide a definitive future flight schedule. NASA’s program overview is the source for these figures and status statements.
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