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Boeing launched astronauts into space with its delayed Starliner spacecraft for the first time Wednesday.
波音公司周三首次用其延迟研制的星际飞船将宇航员送入太空。
The launch marked the company’s entry into competition with SpaceX to provide service for the American space agency NASA.
这次发射标志着该公司开始与 SpaceX 竞争，为美国国家航空航天局（NASA）提供服务。
NASA test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams lifted off in the Starliner spacecraft for the International Space Station (ISS) from Cape Canaveral in Florida.
美国国家航空航天局（NASA）的试飞员布奇·威尔莫尔和苏尼·威廉姆斯乘坐“星际客机”航天器从佛罗里达州的卡纳维拉尔角起飞，前往国际空间站（ISS）。
It was powered by an Atlas V rocket from the United Launch Alliance of Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
该航天器由波音公司和洛克希德-马丁公司联合发射的阿特拉斯五号火箭提供动力。。
Boeing designed Starliner to fly without human assistance.
波音公司设计的 "星际客机 "可以在没有人类辅助的情况下飞行。
But the astronauts can take control of the spacecraft if necessary.
但是，如果有必要，宇航员可以控制航天器。
The test flight calls for Wilmore and Williams to take control of the vehicle on the way to the space station.
这次试飞要求威尔莫尔和威廉姆斯在前往空间站的途中控制飞行器。
The trip to the ISS is expected to last 25 hours, with arrival on Thursday.
这次前往国际空间站的行程预计将于周四抵达，共持续25小时。
The two astronauts will spend just one week at the orbiting laboratory before heading back to Earth to land in the western United States on June 14.
这两名宇航员将仅在轨道实验室停留一周，然后于6月14日返回地球，在美国西部着陆。
Wilmore and Williams are former Navy pilots and long-time astronauts.
威尔莫尔和威廉姆斯分别为是前海军飞行员和老练的宇航员。
The two have spent a combined 500 days in space over two ISS missions each.
这两个人每人都执行了两次国际空间站任务，总共在太空中度过了500天。
Both said repeatedly before the launch that they had full confidence in Boeing for this flight after so many delays.
两人在发射前都一再表示，在经历了这么多次延误后，他们对波音公司的这次飞行充满信心。
The launch came two years after Starliner completed its first test flight to the ISS without astronauts on board.
这次发射是在 "星际客机 "完成首次国际空间站试飞两年后进行的，当时没有宇航员在机上。
Last-minute problems had delayed the Starliner's first two launch attempts with humans.
最后一刻出现的问题，导致星际线飞船载人首飞的前两次尝试推迟。
NASA halted a planned May 6 launch two hours before liftoff because of a problem with a rocket.
美国国家航空航天局在计划的5月6日发射前两小时因火箭问题而停止了发射。
Another attempt last Saturday was halted less than four minutes before liftoff because of a problem with a launchpad computer.
上周六的另一次尝试在发射前不到四分钟时停止，原因是发射台计算机出现问题。
“I know it’s been a long road to get here,” NASA’s commercial crew program leader Steve Stich said before the weekend delay.
美国国家航空航天局商业乘员计划负责人史蒂夫-斯蒂奇在周末推迟之前谈到："我知道这是一条漫长的道路。”
Boeing and SpaceX are both paid to carry NASA’s astronauts to and from the space station.
波音和太空探索技术公司均获得报酬，用于将美国国家航空航天局的宇航员往返于空间站。
The space agency wanted two competing U.S. companies after ending the space shuttle program.
航天局在结束航天飞机项目后，希望有两家美国公司参与竞争。
In 2020, SpaceX became the first private business to launch astronauts into orbit.
2020年，SpaceX成为了第一家将宇航员送入轨道的私营企业。
Only three countries, Russia, the U.S., and China have launched humans into space using their own systems.
目前只有三个国家，俄罗斯、美国和中国，使用自己的系统将人类送入太空。
Since then, SpaceX has taken nine crews to the space station for NASA and three private groups for a Houston company.
自那以来，SpaceX已为美国国家航空航天局将九批宇航员送往空间站，并为休斯顿的一家公司运送了三批私人团队。
If the Starliner mission goes well, NASA will use both SpaceX and Boeing for flights, beginning next year.
如果星际客机任务进展顺利，美国国家航空航天局将从明年开始使用太空探索技术公司和波音公司的航天器。
I’m Caty Weaver.
我是凯蒂·韦弗。
