Boeing was scheduled to send its inaugural manned rocket into space on Monday night but had to cancel the plan because of a faulty valve.
The malfunctioning valve was in the upper stage of the Atlas V rocket, which was supposed to carry two NASA test pilots into space using the Boeing Starliner capsule. The pilots were already secured in the capsule when the problem was identified. The company has not set a new launch date, although NASA has suggested that the earliest possible date would be Friday, May 10.
The primary purpose of the launch was to transport astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station.
“If we notice any unusual data patterns, we are not willing to take any risks with our most valuable cargo,” said United Launch Alliance engineer Dillon Rice, as reported by The Guardian. reported
The Starliner project has faced challenges in its history. Its initial test in 2019 did not achieve the correct orbit and failed to dock with the space station as planned. Subsequent tests experienced issues with the landing parachutes and required the removal of a significant amount of flammable tape.
In addition to being part of Boeing’s inaugural launch, Wilmore and Williams will be the first astronauts to lift off from Cape Canaveral since 1968 and the first to do so on an Atlas rocket since 1963, according to Space.com. reported.
NASA enlisted Boeing to construct a spacecraft a decade ago. SpaceX is the only other company conducting manned flights and has been transporting astronauts to and from the ISS since 2020. Currently, SpaceX launches from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and is constructing a large facility in Brownsville, Texas known as Starbase.
As previously mentioned, The Dallas Express reported that Boeing has been prioritizing “diversity, equity, and inclusion” initiatives over safety following several incidents involving the company’s planes. The Federal Aviation Administration has initiated a new inquiry into the airplane manufacturer after it was revealed that inspections of the wing-to-body attachments on some Boeing 787 aircraft were falsified. reported by opened
