section_path: Career in NASA/Commercial Crew program
section_name: Commercial Crew program
paragraph_text: Commercial Crew program
  
  In July 2015, NASA announced Williams as one of the first astronauts for U.S. commercial spaceflights. She began working with Boeing and SpaceX to train in their commercial crew vehicles, along with other chosen astronauts. In August 2018, she was assigned to the first operational mission flight (Starliner-1) to the International Space Station of Boeing CST-100 Starliner. On April 18, 2022, NASA said the cadre of Starliner astronauts included Barry Wilmore, Michael Fincke, and Williams. On June 16, 2022, NASA said the Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission would be crewed by Wilmore and Williams.
  
  The June 5, 2024, launch of Starliner made Williams, its pilot, the first woman to fly on a flight test of an orbital spacecraft. The mission was scheduled to last eight days, but problems with the Boeing's Starliner service module led NASA to leave Williams and Wilmore aboard the ISS for more than nine months. On 18 March 2025 both returned on SpaceX Crew-9 (Crew 9 was launched in September 2024, with two vacant seats to accommodate Williams and Wilmore's return). Before the mission, Williams was not among the top 50 astronauts as measured by time in space. On August 24, 2024, she became among the top 30 and is expected to be among the top 12 in time-in-space duration when she returns in 2025.
  
  In September 2024, Williams took command of the ISS for the second time in her career. Williams handed over command of the space station to Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksey Ovchinin during a ceremony on March 7, 2025.
  
  In July 2015, NASA announced Williams as one of the first astronauts for U.S. commercial spaceflights. She began working with Boeing and SpaceX to train in their commercial crew vehicles, along with other chosen astronauts. In August 2018, she was assigned to the first operational mission flight (Starliner-1) to the International Space Station of Boeing CST-100 Starliner. On April 18, 2022, NASA said the cadre of Starliner astronauts included Barry Wilmore, Michael Fincke, and Williams. On June 16, 2022, NASA said the Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission would be crewed by Wilmore and Williams.
  
  The June 5, 2024, launch of Starliner made Williams, its pilot, the first woman to fly on a flight test of an orbital spacecraft. The mission was scheduled to last eight days, but problems with the Boeing's Starliner service module led NASA to leave Williams and Wilmore aboard the ISS for more than nine months. On 18 March 2025 both returned on SpaceX Crew-9 (Crew 9 was launched in September 2024, with two vacant seats to accommodate Williams and Wilmore's return). Before the mission, Williams was not among the top 50 astronauts as measured by time in space. On August 24, 2024, she became among the top 30 and is expected to be among the top 12 in time-in-space duration when she returns in 2025.
  
  In September 2024, Williams took command of the ISS for the second time in her career. Williams handed over command of the space station to Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksey Ovchinin during a ceremony on March 7, 2025.