NASA’s highly anticipated launch of the Boeing Starliner has faced yet another delay. The recent setback was announced following a data review that revealed a valve issue, prompting NASA to postpone the scheduled blastoff from the Kennedy Space Center.
The United Launch Alliance (ULA) initially indicated that the launch would not be possible before Friday, following the decision to delay the mission. Preparations for the first crewed mission of the Starliner were halted on Monday due to the identification of an issue by engineers.
Amid the anticipation for the crewed mission, NASA and Boeing faced an unexpected blow as mission engineers identified a pressure regulation valve issue on the rocket’s liquid oxygen tank. This led to the decision to delay the launch to allow for the replacement of the faulty valve. The rescheduled launch date is set for May 17 at 6:16 p.m. ET.
The delay also impacted the planned crew for the mission. Veteran NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore were forced to abandon their seats aboard the Starliner capsule as the operations team called for a scrub just two hours before the scheduled launch.
However, it’s worth noting that the cause for the delay is related to the Atlas rocket’s oxygen relief valve managed by the United Launch Alliance, and not a technical issue with the Starliner itself. The disappointment from the postponed launch comes as Boeing faces an uphill battle due to a series of recent safety issues with its aircraft, resulting in a challenging public relations situation for the company.
This latest setback comes in the wake of a PR nightmare for Boeing, which had 29 incidents, accidents, and occurrences involving its planes globally from January 1 to April 7, as revealed by data from the National Transportation Safety Board. The aerospace giant’s first crewed mission of the Starliner was eagerly awaited by space enthusiasts and the scientific community, and the ongoing delays have only added to the suspense surrounding this historic space mission.
