Two hours before takeoff, the first manned launch of the spacecraft Starliner of Boeing to the International Space Station (ISS)which has been years behind schedule, was postponed due to a security problem.
According to the head of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Bill Nelson, it was “postponed tonight’s launch attempt. NASA’s first priority is safety. We will go when we are ready.”
Nelson explained that the launcher’s manufacturer, the United Launch Alliance (ULA) group, detected an anomaly in a valve on the Atlas V rocket that was going to propel the Starliner capsule into orbit.
Theoretically, The takeoff could be attempted again on Tuesday, Friday, Saturday or in the middle of next week, but everything will depend on the analysis of technicians at ULA, a joint company of Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
Tory Bruno, head of ULA, commented during a press conference that, if the valve has to be replaced, the operation will take “several days”.
Bruno specified that the squad will work “all night” and should present its analysis on Tuesday morning. Likewise, she maintained that “The crew was never in danger.”
The astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williamswhich were due to take off from the Cape Canaveral base in Florida, were already in their seats preparing for takeoff when the cancellation occurred.
The preparations, however, had gone smoothly: the rocket was filled with fuel, the weather was ideal, and the astronauts settled into their seats.
Boeing has a lot at stake with the Starliner development program, which has become a saga marked by unpleasant surprises, delays and setbacks.
The aerospace giant must prove that its capsule is safe before it can begin regular missions to the International Space Station, four years behind SpaceX.
For NASA, which commissioned this vehicle ten years ago, it is also a “very important” challenge.
Having a second vehicle, in addition to SpaceX’s to carry American astronauts, will allow it to better respond to “different emergency scenarios”for example, in case of a problem with one of the ships, stressed Dana Weigel, head of the ISS program.
The success of this mission would also be more than welcome for Boeing, which is experiencing problems with the safety of its aircraft and a large delay in the Starliner program.
In 2019, During a first unmanned test, the capsule could not be placed on the correct trajectory and returned without reaching the Space Station.
Then, in 2021, when the rocket was on the launch pad to attempt the flight again, a problem with blocked valves, this time in the capsule, caused another postponement. Only in May 2022 did the unmanned ship manage to moor itself to the ISS for the first time.
Boeing thought it could carry out its first manned flight that same year, but problems discovered at the last minute in the parachutes that slow the capsule when entering the atmosphere forced a new postponement.
Only a few American spacecraft have managed to transport astronauts. SpaceX’s Dragon capsule joined that list in 2020, succeeding the legendary Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and space shuttle programs.
After the end of the shuttle’s career, NASA astronauts had to travel aboard Russian Soyuz spacecraft.
To end this dependency, In 2014, NASA signed a $4.2 billion contract with Boeing and another $2.6 billion contract with SpaceX for the development of new spacecraft.
Despite the difference in financing, “SpaceX finished four years ahead” of its competitor, SpaceX owner, tycoon Elon Musk, said on Monday.
When Starliner is operational, NASA hopes to alternate flights by SpaceX and Boeing to transport its astronauts to the ISS.
Starting in 2030, when NASA retires from the ISS, the two spacecraft could be used to transport humans to future private space stations.
