NASA announced on Tuesday that the first crewed launch of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station has been rescheduled for May 17 due to a malfunctioning rocket valve that has to be changed for the critical mission.
The test has already been delayed for years, and it comes at a difficult moment for Boeing, since the century-old aerospace giant’s commercial aviation division is currently grappling with a safety issue.
The call for a “scrub” came as astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were fastened into their seats, getting ready for liftoff on Monday night.
Teams on the ground had noticed a buzzing sound coming from an Atlas V rocket’s valve that controls the pressure of liquid oxygen to launch Starliner into orbit.
The joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, United Launch Alliance, was originally in charge of the rocket and stated that the launch would be postponed until at least May 10.
However, more examination showed that the valve needed to be replaced since it had worn down too much. After the repairs, the rocket will be rolled back to its hangar.
“NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test now is targeted to launch no earlier than 6:16 p.m. EDT Friday, May 17,” the US space agency said in a blog post.
The statement also stated that Wilmore and Williams will continue to be kept under isolation in the NASA Kennedy Space Center crew quarters.
NASA is counting on Starliner’s performance in order to prepare for the arrival of a second commercial crew vehicle at the orbiting outpost.
After the Space Shuttle program ended in 2020, Elon Musk’s SpaceX accomplished the feat with its Dragon capsule, eliminating a nearly ten-year reliance on Russian rockets.
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