Boeing’s first crewed Starliner launch delayed again over computer issues

Boeing, NASA, and the United Launch Alliance (ULA) at the moment are concentrating on a June 2nd, 12:03PM ET crewed launch for Boeing’s Starliner capsule after scrubbing it lower than 4 minutes earlier than liftoff on June 1st. If the Sunday launch occurs, it is going to be the primary time Starliner, which has confronted a number of delays, may have flown with human beings on board.

NASA says the ULA is at present investigating why a pc, referred to as a floor launch sequencer, didn’t enter “the proper operational configuration,” triggering an computerized maintain. Throughout a press convention afterward, ULA CEO Tory Bruno stated the difficulty was that considered one of three redundant launch sequencers, that are used to manage issues like releasing connections to the rocket previous to launch, was sluggish to reply. He added that if a repair is “so simple as changing a card,” the launch will occur on the 2nd. In any other case, the launch will transfer again to June fifth or sixth.

The flight is supposed to take two US astronauts — Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams — as much as the Worldwide Area Station (ISS), the place they are going to dock (NASA will stay stream this, as properly). Wilmore and Williams will keep on the station for every week to hold out testing of Starliner and its subsystems previous to NASA’s closing certification of the craft for rotational missions to ISS.

Starliner is a part of NASA’s Industrial Crew Program, which entails the company working with non-public corporations 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 mirror that the launch was scrubbed and that there’s a new launch goal date.