Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft lifts off carrying two Nasa astronauts

Two Nasa astronauts were on their way to the International Space Station after Boeing’s pioneering Starliner capsule finally made its much delayed first crewed flight from Cape Canaveral. Subscribe to Guardian News on YouTube ► The liftoff came seven years beyond the spacecraft’s original target date, five years after the failure of an uncrewed test flight and following a more recent series of postponements for technical reasons that resulted launch attempts aborted twice. The veteran astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams reached orbit 12 minutes after the ET launch. If the eight- to 10-day mission is successful, Starliner will give Nasa a second option for ferrying humans to low Earth orbit after SpaceX’s Dragon capsule. The Guardian publishes independent journalism, made possible by supporters. Contribute to The Guardian today ► Sign up to the Guardian’s free new daily newsletter, First E