Boeing’s Starliner flight has been postponed. What is happening now?

It is not known when Boeing Co. will attempt to launch its Starliner space taxi to the International Space Station after its engineers detected a problem with the valves in a vehicle’s propulsion system.

The launch of the aerospace giant’s Starliner capsule was scheduled for August 3, but officials decided to postpone the flight because some valves in a Starliner propulsion system were not configured correctly, according to National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

BOEING, NASA AND UNITED LAUNCH OF THE SCRUB STARLINER ALLIANCE DUE TO A TECHNICAL ISSUE

Officials had said they might try to fly the vehicle to the space station on August 4, but then dismissed the possibility, saying engineers needed time to assess what had happened with the valves.

Boeing has already encountered problems with the Starliner. A botched effort at the end of 2019 shattered the record for a company that has been at the forefront of American space exploration, including the Apollo missions to the moon. The Starliner is the latest in a series of new rockets, capsules and other vehicles designed to promote American ambitions in a new space race to the moon, Mars and beyond.

The Starliner would give the United States more options to reach low earth orbit and the space station. US astronauts had to hitchhike aboard the Russian Soyuz spacecraft to get there after the space shuttle pulled out in 2011. NASA chose to outsource a replacement through its commercial crew program and chose Boeing and Space Exploration Technologies Corp., the official name of Elon musk‘s SpaceX, to provide space taxi services.

The CST-100 Starliner was to deliver more than 400 pounds of NASA cargo and crew supplies, and bring back equipment, including oxygen tanks. A model named Rosie the Rocketeer was also scheduled to be on board.

How can I watch the launch of Starliner?

NASA plans to broadcast the Starliner launch live from the Cape Canaveral space station in Florida when the flight takes place.

NASA said the Starliner mission is expected to last five to 10 days in total. The Starliner is expected to return to Earth at a facility on the White Sands missile chain in New Mexico.

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Wasn’t that supposed to be launched on Tuesday?

The flight was postponed due to an issue with some valves in a vehicle’s propulsion system, the company and NASA said.

Boeing said its engineers performing pre-launch checks of the Starliner initially detected the problem after lightning storms near the launch site on Monday.

Authorities had scheduled the flight to start on July 30 but postponed it from that date after a Russian spacecraft mistakenly fired its thrusters while attached to the International Space Station the day before, forcing the facility to tilt.

What went wrong with the 2019 mission?

The first unmanned Starliner test flight in December 2019 failed to reach the space station. A software error left the spacecraft in the wrong orbit, ground controllers had difficulty communicating with the vehicle, and another computer glitch affected its thrusters. The spacecraft returned safely to Earth after two days, although NASA said it could have made it to the space station if astronauts were on board.

Boeing and NASA carried out several examinations and tests before the last launch. Working under a fixed price contract with NASA, Boeing paid $ 410 million to pay for the second test mission and will transport the cargo to and from the space station free of charge.

When will the Starliner carry astronauts?

Before the Starliner can transport astronauts to the space station, Boeing must complete the test flight with no crew on board. A second Starliner capsule is intended to transport astronauts to the space station as early as November, if tests go as planned and NASA certifies the Starliner. The reusable spacecraft is designed to fly 10 times and can be refurbished in six months.

How does it compare to the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule?

The Starliner can carry seven astronauts or a mixture of crew and cargo. It is launched on the same Atlas V series rockets developed by the joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin Corp. which are used for military satellites. The spacecraft is self-contained, although there are emergency controls that allow it to be piloted. It is designed for land returns, in descent under parachute, with airbags to cushion the landing.

The SpaceX Crew Dragon has transported cargo to the space station since 2012 and took its first astronauts to the space station in May 2020. The fully autonomous Dragon is launched on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and has seven seats, although like the Starliner only four are used for NASA missions. It is designed to land under parachutes in the ocean.

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What else is Boeing doing in space?

Boeing is one of the world’s largest space companies, with analysts estimating the company’s annual revenue to be around $ 6 billion last year. It has already participated in the renovation of the International Space Station this year and built a range of satellites.

This is a pivotal year for Boeing’s space ambitions. Beyond the Starliner, it forms the main body of the Space Launch System, a huge space rocket that will carry astronauts. After years of delay, a ground test in March paved the way for a potential launch by the end of the year as part of NASA’s Artemis moon exploration program.