NASA and Boeing faced a setback in their plans to launch the Boeing Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station on Monday. The launch was delayed due to a last-minute issue with a valve on the spacecraft’s rocket, which was detected during a pre-flight check.
The anomaly was found on the United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket, which was set to carry the Starliner to the space station. As a result, the launch was scrubbed, and NASA and Boeing are now working to address the issue before rescheduling the mission. The launch has been pushed back to no earlier than Friday, pending a full assessment of the problem with the rocket’s upper stage.
This crewed Starliner flight is a critical final test before Boeing can begin regular flights to and from the space station. However, Boeing has faced several delays and setbacks with its Starliner program, falling behind SpaceX in flying crewed missions to the space station.
The development of the Starliner spacecraft, along with SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which was launched over a decade ago to support private companies in building new space vehicles. Both Boeing and SpaceX have been working towards providing NASA with reliable options for transporting astronauts to and from the International Space Station.
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