NASA had been hoping to perform the first crewed launch of the troubled Boeing Starliner capsule this weekend, but now the launch has once again been delayed, with no new date yet announced.
The Starliner aims to be an alternative to the SpaceX Dragon for ferrying astronauts between Earth and the International Space Station (ISS). However, the spacecraft’s development has been beset by delays and problems, with its first attempts at an uncrewed test flight to the ISS failing to reach the station in 2019. The Starliner did eventually make it to the ISS in a second test flight in 2022, but that was also uncrewed.
The next challenge is for the Starliner to successfully carry NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sun Williams to the station. However, the first attempt at a crewed launch was called off two hours before liftoff on Monday, May 6, due to an issue with a valve on the Atlas V rocket that was to carry the Starliner into orbit.
While that problem was due to the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket and not the Starliner itself, which is a rarity as that rocket has been used frequently for many years with a high level of success, engineers came across a helium leak on the Starliner after fixing the valve issues. This leak has caused the test flight to be repeatedly delayed, with the most recent plan to launch on Saturday, May 25.
However, now that planned launch won’t happen either, and NASA has not yet stated when it will perform the launch. “The team has been in meetings for two consecutive days, assessing flight rationale, system performance, and redundancy,” NASA wrote in an emailed update. “There is still forward work in these areas, and the next possible launch opportunity is still being discussed.”
NASA has previously emphasized its focus on the safety of its astronauts as a top priority, preferring to delay missions to address issues rather than risk the well-being of crew members. However, the latest delay will surely prove to be an embarrassment for Boeing, which has had not only ongoing issues with its Starliner spacecraft, but is also under scrutiny regarding the safety of its airplanes following a series of serious issues.
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