Boeing Starliner first crewed mission postponed to May 17
The first crewed launch of Boeing’s Starliner spaceship to the International Space Station has been pushed to May 17 after engineers said a faulty rocket valve needs to be replaced for the high-stakes mission, Nasa said on Tuesday.
The test has encountered significant delays. It also comes amid a tumultuous period for Boeing, which is grappling with a safety crisis affecting its longstanding commercial aviation division.
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams were strapped into their seats preparing for lift-off on Monday night when the call for a “scrub” came.
Ground teams had heard buzzing from a valve that regulates liquid oxygen pressure on the Atlas V rocket meant to propel Starliner into orbit.
United Launch Alliance, the Boeing-Lockheed Martin joint venture responsible for the rocket, initially said launch would be delayed to at least May 10.
But further analysis revealed the valve had sustained too much wear and required replacement.
The rocket will be rolled back to its hangar for the repairs.
“Nasa’s Boeing Crew Flight Test now is targeted to launch no earlier than 6:16 pm EDT on Friday, May 17,” the US space agency said in a blog post.
Wilmore and Williams will remain under quarantine in crew quarters at the Nasa Kennedy Space Center, the post added.
Nasa is banking on Starliner’s success as it hopes for a second commercial vehicle to carry crews to the orbital outpost.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX accomplished the feat with its Dragon capsule in 2020, ending a nearly decade-long dependence on Russian rockets following the end of the Space Shuttle programme.