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Boeing’s Starliner Crewed Flight Delayed Due to Technical Issue
The highly anticipated first crewed flight of Boeing’s new Starliner capsule has been postponed to the end of the week due to a technical glitch. Originally scheduled for a late Monday night launch, the Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission was set to carry two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) and back. However, just two hours before liftoff, mission teams identified a faulty “oxygen relief valve” on the upper stage of Starliner’s rocket ride, a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V.
Although NASA, ULA, and Boeing initially expressed hope that the issue could be swiftly resolved, a new launch attempt will now take place no earlier than Friday night, May 10. The delay was necessary to allow teams to thoroughly analyze the pressure regulation valve on the liquid oxygen tank of the Atlas V rocket’s Centaur upper stage and assess whether valve replacement is required.
Additional Backup Opportunity on Saturday
Should the launch proceed on Friday, it is scheduled for 9 p.m. EDT (0100 GMT on May 11). NASA officials have also indicated a backup opportunity on Saturday, May 11. However, uncertainty remains about the readiness of Starliner and the Atlas V for flight, pending ULA’s decision on valve replacement, which could involve rolling the rocket back to its assembly facility.
“That procedure takes several days,” ULA CEO Tory Bruno noted during a press conference. If valve replacement is deemed necessary, another launch attempt might not be feasible before Sunday.
The crew for the Crew Flight Test includes NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who had to disembark from Starliner following the scrubbed launch attempt. Both astronauts returned to the crew quarters at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Boeing and SpaceX Contract Awards
In 2014, NASA awarded Boeing and SpaceX contracts worth billions of dollars to transport astronauts to and from the ISS. While SpaceX has successfully conducted seven operational crewed flights for NASA since 2020 using the Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 rocket, Boeing has faced numerous delays in the development of Starliner and is yet to launch a crewed mission.
Stay tuned for further updates on this developing story.
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