Boeing, NASA, and the United Launch Alliance (ULA) scrubbed right now’s launch of Starliner lower than 4 minutes earlier than liftoff. The setback comes after a string of disappointments, however as with its early Might delay, the problem wasn’t with Boeing’s crew car.
NASA says the ULA is presently investigating why a pc, known as a floor launch sequencer, didn’t enter “the right operational configuration,” triggering an automated maintain. Throughout a press convention afterward, ULA CEO Tory Bruno mentioned the problem was that certainly one of three redundant launch sequencers, that are used to regulate issues like releasing connections to the rocket previous to launch, was sluggish to reply.
The three organizations had hoped to attempt once more tomorrow round midday, however that received’t occur, both. NASA now says the groups have opted to punt the launch a number of extra days (the subsequent two likelihood is June fifth and sixth) to offer the group extra troubleshooting time with the defective gear.
The flight was meant to take two US astronauts — Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams — as much as the Worldwide House Station (ISS), the place they’ll dock. Wilmore and Williams had deliberate to remain on the station for every week to hold out testing of Starliner and its subsystems previous to NASA’s remaining certification of the craft for rotational missions to ISS.
Starliner is a part of NASA’s Industrial Crew Program, which includes the company working with non-public firms to develop novel spacecraft. SpaceX can also be a part of this program and has launched NASA astronauts since 2020.
Replace June 1st, 2024, 3:16PM ET: Up to date to replicate that the launch was scrubbed and that there’s a new launch goal date.
Replace June 1st, 2024, 6:14PM ET: The launch is delayed till at the least June fifth.
