Orbital launch of Boeing Starliner delayed indefinitely

Boeing and NASA have announced that they are canceling the planned test flight of the Starliner spacecraft, which is designed to transport astronauts between Earth and the International Space Station. The Starliner had remained at the launch site of the United Launch Alliance’s vertical integration facility in hopes of a quick fix to a valuable issue, but now the Starliner will be brought back to a Boeing facility for work. additional.

Boeing intended to send the Starliner for its second flight test into orbit last week, but that was canceled when a valve problem was discovered. Initially, Boeing engineers said they still hoped to be able to fix the issue and launch the capsule in August, but subsequent work failed to fully resolve the issue.

Now Boeing has announced that it does not plan to launch in August, with the launch date being delayed indefinitely until the issue can be resolved. This is a blow not only for the company but also for NASA, which is working with Boeing on the development of the capsule as part of the Commercial Crew Program. As part of the same program, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule was tested and successfully commissioned last year, but the Boeing spacecraft has fallen behind schedule. In a statement, NASA underscored the focus on the safety of astronauts who will end up flying in the Starliner rather than meeting a set schedule.

“We have made a lot of progress in opening the floodgates from inside the vertical integration facility, and the NASA-Boeing teams have done a great job doing everything they can to prepare for this opportunity. launch, ”said Kathryn Lueders, associate administrator of NASA’s Human Direction of the Exploration and Operations Mission. “While we want to see Starliner fly in this window, it is essential that our primary focus is the safety of the crew transportation system – for the safety of the space station and the crew members who will be flying on these vehicles. We will only perform this test when we believe we are ready and can achieve the mission objectives. “

Development of the Starliner has been undeniably bumpy, plagued by numerous delays, issues with test procedures, and an unsuccessful first orbital test flight in 2019. Now it looks like the issues will persist for some time to come.

“Mission success in manned flights depends on thousands of factors brought together at the right time,” said John Vollmer, vice president and program director of Boeing’s commercial crew program. “We will continue to work on the issue from the Starliner factory and have decided to withdraw from this launch window to make room for other national priority missions.”

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