Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft failed to launch as planned on Saturday, its second failed launch attempt with a test pilot in the past month.
NASA commanders Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Sunny” Williams had a problem with less than four minutes remaining on the countdown, causing the spacecraft to disembark. Starliner’s first crewed test flight was scheduled to lift off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, at approximately 12:25 p.m. ET.
As the rocket entered the final minutes of its countdown, the ground-based launch computer that took over automatically stopped, but the reason for the abort was unclear. The next release will be on Sunday at 12:03 PM ET. It’s unclear whether teams will be able to reset so quickly, but there will be more boot time on Wednesday and Thursday.
“Of course it’s disappointing, but it’s part of the business and the ultimate goal is just to ensure the safety of our precious cargo, Butch and Suney,” Boeing commentator Lauren Brennecke said.
The long and troubled history of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft
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NASA had expected the flight to happen years ago, but Boeing has struggled to resolve a series of issues with the spacecraft. The teams canceled their last launch attempt on May 4 due to problems with the oxygen safety valve on the rocket.
While assessing the problem, engineers discovered a small helium leak in the Starliner’s service module. The team determined it was a small hole in a rubber seal that would not impede space flight. Flight controllers said if the leak worsened, it could be dealt with in space.
U.S. astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Sunny” Williams wave to the crowd before boarding the Boeing Starliner spacecraft Calypso on June 1, 2024 .
Image credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
Williams’ successful flight of the spacecraft, called Calypso, will help secure a second commercial aircraft carrier for transporting astronauts to and from the International Space Station. MuskSpaceX crew dragon The same test was completed in 2019 and has since brought at least 50 people to the laboratory in orbit 250 miles above Earth.
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After 2011, NASA no longer operates its own space shuttles, relying instead on Russian rockets to carry astronauts into space. That period ended in 2020, when SpaceX took over the responsibility, but the space agency has been left without any backup, which was not the original plan. The U.S. pays up to $86 million Every ride.
A Starliner test pilot pulls down his helmet visor during the countdown to launch on June 1, 2024.
Image source: NASA / YouTube screenshot
If certified, the Starliner mission would be able to carry up to four astronauts at a time to the space station, increasing the amount of research at the orbiting laboratory.
“This will have a huge impact on us,” said NASA Associate Administrator Pam Melroy. “The station has been operating for more than 20 years and we have conducted thousands of experiments, but realistically, in some cases, we are limited by the time the crew can spend. By having a crew of four instead of three crew members, we are literally able to double the amount of time astronauts can spend doing scientific research.
Although Starliner has faced challenges before, Wilmore and Williams said they are not worried about its misfortunes and setbacks.
Boeing’s unmanned Starliner spacecraft successfully arrived at the International Space Station on May 20, 2022.
Image credit: Samantha Cristoforetti/NASA
“If we could go back three years and talk about the capabilities of the spacecraft, what it was envisioned at the time, and where it is now after these discoveries and correcting all these problems that we found, that’s really a leap forward. ,” Wilmore told Mashable at a press conference earlier this month.
Williams added that they had discussed the previous headlines with their families.
“I think they’re happy and proud that we were part of the process of solving this,” she said.
