Image Source: NDTV

Boeing Co is set to launch its new astronaut capsule on Friday on its first unmanned journey to the International Space Station, a milestone test for the U.S. aerospace firm that is vying with SpaceX to revive NASA's human spaceflight capabilities.
Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, a cone-shaped pod capable of carrying up to seven astronauts, will blast off from Florida's Cape Canaveral around 6:36 a.m. local time (1136 GMT), atop an Atlas V rocket from Boeing-Lockheed Martin Corp's United Launch Alliance.

Minutes after liftoff, Starliner will detach from the main rocket booster for a rendezvous some 254 miles (409 km) into space the following morning with the International Space Station.

The test is one of the most daunting milestones required by NASA's Commercial Crew Program to certify the capsule for eventual human spaceflight - a long-delayed goal set back years by development hurdles from both Boeing and SpaceX.